The Pride of Cordell has completed yet another successful season of competitions that have blown viewers and listeners completely away.
It is evident when speaking to Band Director Aaron Edge that he couldn’t be more proud of the young men and women who dedicate many hours of their time and a whole lot of effort into becoming better musicians personally and better members of a team that often seems very much like a family.
The band took judges and audiences alike to a place where the sun shines and the waves are high with their 2022 show, “Surf’s Up,” which featured music of The Beach Boys.
The Cordell Band attended two contests of different styles. One contest was closer in style to Oklahoma Bandmasters Association (OBA), which puts bands up against other bands and they directly compete against one another.
The other contest was based on a judge’s scoring system, or Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) style.
The first contest, OBA style, was the 3rd Annual Elgin Owls Southwest Showdown. There the band competed against other bands from class 2A all the way to class 6A. Following the preliminary competition, the band placed 7th overall out of 16 total bands and made it to the finals competition later that evening where they would place 11th overall. The Cordell Band received the following awards: High Visual Score in Class 2A, High Music Score in Class 2A, Outstanding Drum Major in Class 2A, Outstanding Drumline in Class 2A, Outstanding Color Guard in Class 2A, and 1st Place in Class 2A.
Next the band went to compete in the OSSAA Marching Contest in Enid, OK. This competition features three judges who give the bands a score on a scale of 1-5, one being the best and five being the worst. All three judges gave the Pride of Cordell a one. This has put them in the running for the sweepstakes award at the end of the year after the State Concert Band Competition. They will need to receive all ones at the Regional Contest in March and at the State Completion in April. Good luck, Pride!
The day of the OSSAA Marching Contest, the Pride of Cordell Flag Team/Color Guard completed their competition performance where they received a one as well. Maintaining The Beach Boys theme, the flag team’s routine was to the tune “Kokomo.”
Southwestern Oklahoma Band Directors Association (SWOBDA) or “All-Region”, as it is commonly known as, is an honor band that is open to all students in the southwestern area of the state from 7th through 12th Grade. This includes several schools of all sizes.
All students are to prepare and perform the same pieces of music, by grade level, to the same judges. If a student makes the cut, they are put into “chair order” based on their audition score. The following Cordell students made this honor band: 7th grader Kody Belding - 1st chair Clarinet, 7th grader Colin Dixon - 2nd chair Trumpet, 7th grader Aiden Willard - 5th chair Trombone, 7th grader Andrew Willard - 1st Chair Tuba, 7th grader Bryton Yaeger - 4th chair Alto Saxophone, 9th grader Morgan Dixon - 1st chair Tenor Saxophone, 9th grader Turner Jones - 1st chair Alto Saxophone, 9th grader Samuel Lindsey - 10th chair Trumpet, 12th grader Nathan Jackson - 4th chair Trumpet, and 12th grader Adam Lindsey - 1st chair Trombone. Adding up to a final score of 10 students making the bands!
“For a small school program, this is a massive accomplishment, and to have so many students getting into the top 5 or even the number 1 spot is even bigger! We are so proud of these students!” expressed Cordell Band Director Aaron Edge.
Oklahoma Small Schools Band Directors Association (OSSBDA) is an all-state honor band that is open to all 10th through 12th graders who attend a school up to class 4A.
“Hundreds of high school students attend this event, and we had 2 amazing students who made the band for their 2nd year in a row! I could not be any prouder of these two fine musicians and their incredible growth. This is one of the top accomplishments that a high school instrumentalist can achieve” beamed Edge.
Nathan Jackson made 1st chair trumpet and Adam Lindsey made 7th chair trombone.