EASLEY – The Easley High School Bands recently held their awards banquet, during which they celebrated a long year of successes in many different ensembles.

The banquet recognized the Marching Band, Winter Guards and Percussion, and Concert Bands as well as several individual students. EHS Bands and Ensembles received the South Carolina Band Director’s Association’s Outstanding Performance Award. The award is based on a point system and EHS Bands and Ensembles had a perfect 100 of 100 points.

“The award requires that a band program participate in all the scored events that SCBDA sponsors,” said Patrick Mainieri, Director of Bands. “It’s an honor to receive a perfect score.”

The Marching Band received 7th in the All-State competitions in their class size. Their show was entitled “We Will Never Forget” and was a tribute to America’s recent disasters, such as the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina.

Rehearsals for this show started with a two-week camp with full-day rehearsals and continued through the end of October with multi-hour rehearsals after school. The Marching Band also supported the Easley High School football team at eleven games.

The Winter Guard did very well in their many competitions this year and finished first at the Winter Guard International Competition in Atlanta, GA. Winter Guard shows are indoor performances and generally involve complex choreography and movements.

“Our Winter Guard is an indoor color guard that is used to keep those students proficient through the off season,” Mainieri said. “They use flags, sabers, and drill rifles.”

The Indoor Percussion Ensemble, Trifecta, placed first at the Carolina Indoor Performance Association Competition and traveled to Ohio this year to compete in the Indoor Percussion World Championships. Indoor Percussion ensembles like Trifecta feature both moving percussion and a front line of stationary percussion instruments called a battery.

EHS Bands and Ensembles has two concert bands, the Symphonic Band and the Wind Ensemble. Students from the bands were accepted into County and Regional Honor Bands, which consist of a weekend’s worth of full-day rehearsals that culminates in a performance. To be accepted, students compete against each other in a multi-step audition process.

“The concert season is my favorite because I can see students progress individually,” Mainieri said.

The Bands and Ensembles traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia to compete in the Fiesta-val Music Invitational. After receiving many awards in categories such as Best Drum Major, Best Percussion, and Best Director, EHS Bands and Ensembles was awarded the title of Grand Band Champion, the highest title at the invitational.

The recent awards banquet recognized all of these achievements and the accomplishments of several students. Twenty-nine students received their Letters for Letter Jackets and students Cody Gentry, Ethan Talley, William Hillegeist, and Brianna Culbertson were recognized individually for their achievements.

The EHS Bands and Ensembles are directed by Patrick Mainieri and Mason Mumford. They would like to thank the Easley community for its support and encourage everyone to look forward to another great season.