Five Berlin High School Musicians Honored

Five students from Berlin High School were selected to participate in the Marywood University Senior Wind Band Celebration in Scranton, Pennsylvania held on February 15 and 16. Mark Bowling, BHS Director of Bands, was invited to nominate outstanding students to participate. The Berlin High participants were Brooke Barney, Tommy deRito, Logan Kissane, Casey Ringquist, and Kaylee Soderburg.

The two day program began with auditions on Friday morning to determine which band students would participate in – the Honor Band (the more prestigious of the two) or the Celebration Band. 

All five of the Berlin High musicians were outstanding in their auditions and all five were selected to the Honor Band; some students auditioned so well they achieved top chair status in their sections (players in each section of a band are ordered by chair, so that the best player in each section is the first chair, or principal player, the second-best is second chair, and so on; the music is composed and distributed so that the first chair in each section will get the most difficult music and the most soloistic parts). 

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The remainder of the weekend featured events designed to provide challenging instruction, motivation, and inspiration. Students rehearsed and performed with clinician/conductors who are leaders in the wind band profession. The weekend concluded with a final concert given by the participants in both bands.

The Marywood University Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance; the Marywood Chapter of the Collegiate National Association for Music Education, and the Marywood University Bands sponsor the two-day event. The mission of the Marywood University Wind Band Celebration is to expose band students to a “culture of excellence” that will inspire them to higher levels of achievement and create a desire to share the enthusiasm and knowledge gained during the weekend with their peers. More than 150 students participated in the two-day event.