ON A SUCCESSFUL NOTE:

A Cordell High School marching band member earned an honorable achievement for her high school band career, making her junior year memorable. Jaci Graham auditioned for the Oklahoma Small Schools Band Directors Association All-State Band in October 2023. After making the honor band, Graham attended the OSSBDA All-State clinic February 8-10 at Oklahoma City University, where she represented Cordell High School as one of twelve trumpet musicians selected in Oklahoma.

"It felt extremely surreal. I didn't really realize the weight of my accomplishment until I was in my uniform, sitting in front of several dozen people. I usually get nervous sweats during performances, but I was more proud and thrilled than nervous that day. Waking up that morning was a sad but exciting experience nonetheless. I'm sad it only lasted a few days, but I hope I'll experience that again next year," Graham expressed. To make it to the top twelve, Graham competed against 150 trumpet players across Oklahoma from class 2A to 4A. She was judged and scored by three judges on her impressively high-level performance, securing her top twelve placement.

"This is an incredible achievement and is only accomplished through hours and hours of hard work, dedication, and discipline. We are extremely proud of Jaci and her accomplishments, and we're so excited to see another year of continued success and musical advancements. The Cordell Blue Devil Band is proud to say that we have some of the finest musicians in the area, and for Jaci, we can say that we have one of the top trumpet players in the state of Oklahoma to come from a small school," said Cordell Band Director Aaron Edge Following her placement and honor band achievement, Graham and the other honor band members attended the clinic. There, they rehearsed for 12+ hours before performing an unbelievable concert on Saturday, February 10, which left their audience members stunned.

"Honestly, representing my school is extremely important to me. The whole time I was wearing my uniform during the day of the All-State concert, I thought about how honored I was to be able to represent my school in such a significant way. My junior year has been my most memorable and successful year thus far, and I cannot wait to accomplish even more in my next and final school year,” Graham said.

As Mr. Edge mentioned, such an accomplishment is only attainable with hard work, dedication, and discipline— a true testament to Graham’s love for her art and commitment to her accomplishments and future goals.

“My performance level has increased significantly this past year due to extreme dedication and practice. I wasn’t very dedicated to this art in my sophomore year, which showed in my playing. After not making any honor bands that year, I realized that if I wanted to pursue music, I had to take it more seriously. My totally awesome director has helped me a lot in the process, and he may not admit it, but I truly wouldn’t be as successful without his help.”

Graham’s interest in music began at a young age and has blossomed into a life-altering outlet that lets her creativity come to life. She shared that her interest in the trumpet sparked before her first year in band, and after joining band, she felt as though she had finally done something right and found her home.

“I wouldn’t trade my band family for the world, and I hope we have a great run this year and next. Because man, we are one heck of a band.”