On March 21, Franklin High School’s Wind Ensemble played at the PIL District Festival against other top high school bands in the Portland metro area, where they qualified for the state competition for the second time this festival season. The Wind Ensemble played at last year’s state competition for the first time in Franklin’s history, after qualifying multiple times at festivals leading up to the state competition. Band Director Jason Owens explains that “this has been a really great year for [them] to qualify again because it shows that it wasn’t just a one time thing, that this is something that really is about the musicianship that the kids are putting in.”
While the Wind Ensemble has qualified for the state competition, they won’t automatically be granted a spot to play at the competition. To be given a guaranteed spot at the state competition, a band must receive the highest score at their district competition; this year Grant High School was the automatic qualifier at the PIL competition. In order to have a qualifying score, two out of the 3-person panel of judges must give the band a minimum score of 75 from a 100-point rubric. Recordings of the qualifying performance are then sent to a separate group of judges who listen to all submissions and then rank the recorded performances. Only the top 20 bands are selected to play at the state level, meaning while a band may have qualified for state they may not have the opportunity to compete.
At competitions, bands are scored on factors like their sound quality, musicality, and technique during their prepared music selections, as well as an additional sight-reading portion. During sight-reading, the band is given a piece that they have never seen before to look at for seven minutes; they are not allowed to play for the duration of this time, but they are permitted to sing and clap their parts to prepare to play them. At the end of the seven minutes, the whole band must play through the entirety of the piece, with guidance from their director.
“Judges and guests have said it’s the best Franklin band they’ve heard in 40 years,” says Wind Ensemble member Sebastian Brown (12). Owens believes one of the most helpful things in preparing for competitions and improving overall quality of sound is bringing guest conductors in to hear the band with fresh ears and give feedback. “It’s really nice to get someone else in to listen to how they work with the kids,” says Owens. He explains that he has brought several guest conductors who are well respected within the band community in an effort to get additional feedback on the band’s work and his own. Guest conductors come into class, direct and hear the band play, and give immediate feedback to both the band at large and to specific instrument groups, or individual players within the band.
Several students attribute the Wind Ensemble’s success to small group work and band camaraderie. “I think what has been most influential in preparation for festival season is really buckling down on sectional work and having meaningful goals for each rehearsal, both small group and large ensemble,” says Bella Walker (12). Echoing this sentiment, Katherine Coppock (12) says that “working in smaller groups and on our ensemble pieces forced us to improve our balance and intonation.” Additionally, Walker and Sam Dody (12) comment that ensemble and section camaraderie connect the band around a common goal and further individual engagement in practice and exercises.
While some students in the band expressed their dislike for the competition environment, everyone can agree that receiving feedback and listening to other bands is helpful in fine-tuning their own musicality, and can be a fun experience. “Mr. Owens really shifted our perspective and efforts in band towards working to play our best, not necessarily to qualify,” says Walker. Owens says that central to the band program and playing music is “the process of learning about yourself. You’re experiencing music, it’s helping you navigate feelings and emotions in your life. It’s helping you connect with other people … [that’s] why we play music.” He explains that while “it does feel good to know that you’re at a level to perform at the state level … the competition is secondary, but it helps us become better musicians.”
The Franklin Wind Ensemble has been preparing for competitions since the beginning of the school year. Qualifying for state competitions is no easy task, and there are many factors that contribute to a good performance. The band will be hearing back on whether they will be playing at state competition within the next week. In the meantime, they continue to focus on implementing feedback, practicing sight-reading pieces, working in sections, and growing as a group. State championships will be held at Oregon State University on May 13. The Wind Ensemble hopes to play at the state competition. Owens says, “we’re proud of our school and we want to go and represent at a state level … it’s a privilege to do that.”
