Warriors Feel the Beat at Walton County Honor Band

The second annual WCHB was held here, at Walnut Grove on January 8th and 9th. Select students from all over the county came to WG, building bonds and making music.
by Makenzie Bass

Hudson Smith (12) and Aiden McNew (10) said their favorite part about Honor Band was “...that all of the bands in the county could come into one band and enjoy playing, apart from all the differences in school and band culture.” and “Meeting a lot of new people”. While Jacob Damian (10) and Taylor Duncan (11) said, “The director, Dr. Williams. He was really hyper and fun.”

Leigha Hunt (11), woodwind captain, said one thing she does to have a good run is “Practicing and listening to the songs.” Cris Brown (12), brass captain, prepares by “...drinking a lot of water. I drink about a movie theater sized cup of water every time we practice.” 

Everyone interviewed said their favorite musical style was Lyrical. “I don’t like fast pieces that much, so I like to do all the lyrical parts”, said Rebecca Fields (11). Hudson Smith added, “I think I’m definitely good at being lyrical and expressing emotion in that way, because it’s just kind of a sacred thing to me. I think that I put a lot of passion into what I’m playing.” Cris Brown stated, “I like lyrical pieces, so I try to have a more resonant tone when I play. I try to always be softer than an average trumpet player.”

On March 3rd, both the Walnut Grove Symphonic Band and the Walnut Grove Concert Band will compete at the District 14 Large Group Performance Evaluation, LGPE for short. They will be graded by a panel of judges. Taylor Duncan is preparing by “I just make sure I know my music. Just calm my heart rate down and finger through my notes.” Cris Brown added, “I definitely have to practice a lot, especially on little runs I have. But that’s all stuff I do at home. I prepare myself before I get to class and have myself ready.

Hudson Smith said his all time favorite moment in the band has been, “The last comp. Everytime we go to the last comp of marching band season and just see all the people and compare them to how different they were at the beginning of the season.” Rebecca Fields agreed and said, “Probably when we got Grand Champion for the silver division this year.”

Overall, students agreed this opportunity was a great one to experience, and it opened many doors for them and their futures. Whether they are going to college to be a teacher, doctor, lawyer, or whatever they may choose, these students were chosen for a reason, by displaying many traits of leadership and skill.