The 2018 Georgia Music Educators Association’s Large Group Performance Evaluation was held at Clarke Central High School from March 7-9. Gallery by Owen Donnelly
During Music in Our Schools Month, the Large Group Performance Evaluation is held by the Georgia Music Educators Association. This year, Clarke Central High School hosted.
On March 7-9, Clarke Central High School hosted the Georgia Music Education Association’s District 14 Large Group Performance Evaluation. For band students, this was a chance to showcase their talent and their understanding of Georgia’s band standards.
“It’s like the exams, the (Georgia) Milestones and all the standardized tests that we take in our Core Curriculum classes. It gives us a grade of what we’re doing and how well we’re doing it. It tells our kids how well they’re playing and how they can improve. It is not a competition,” Director of Bands Robert Lawrence said. “What you are being judged against is the state standard of superior, excellent, good, fair and poor, which equates to the numerical values of one, two, three, four and five.”
In the nine years since CCHS’ bands have participated in LGPE, this is the first year that the evaluation will be held at CCHS. Fifty-two middle and high school bands will visit CCHS across those three days and perform. For Lawrence, hosting LGPE was a result of the band students’ hard work.
“We wanted it. We are a school of champions. We like to do champion things. Nine years ago, there’s no way we could’ve ever done this. There’s no way,” Lawrence said. “I talked about (LGPE) last year and the year before, and the kids told me, ‘Let’s bring LGPE to Central, especially since we have this wonderful facility now.’ So I said, ‘Are you serious?’ and they said, ‘Yeah’. So, I introduced the idea of us doing it.”
During performances, the band students are tasked with multiple activities. The evaluation is divided into three parts: the warm-up, the performance –students play three songs, one of their own choosing — and sight reading — the students review a piece of music for six minutes and then have to perform the piece.
CCHS’ three bands, the wind ensemble, the symphonic band and the concert band, will play songs at different levels.
“A (song) list is put together by the grade levels based on the severity of the music. In Georgia, we go from grades one through six,” Lawrence said. “Wind ensemble is doing level six. The symphonic band is doing a split level — four/five. The concert band is doing a level three/four.”
Freshman Ada Mitchell, a member of the concert band, is excited for LGPE and believes that the CCHS bands have thoroughly prepared for the evaluations.
“We have had many after school rehearsals leading up to this week. We have also had other band instructors come in and voice their opinions on what we could be doing better,” Mitchell said. “I think that all band students have worked incredibly hard to get where they are now and as long as all of the bands are prepared and know what they need to do during their performances this week, Clarke Central will do great.”
CCHS Principal Marie Yuran was able to see the wind ensemble perform on March 7. She enjoyed seeing their work actualized.
“It was beautiful. Music moves the soul and it moved my soul. I’m humbled by all their dedication and hard work,” Yuran said. “The work and the quality of music that they played is remarkable to be at the high school level.”
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