Join us for a special series of Jacket stories. March is Music In Our Schools Month and we're taking the moment to recap and highlight some of the robust opportunities available to our students to participate and grow in the performing arts. Step to the stage and give a listen.
Let's set the stage...
An innovative and diverse staff of educators and musicians.
A talented up-and-coming composer –– who learned his first musical instruments in the SHS Band.
An award-winning percussion program.
Not one, but two composition world premieres.
An annual statewide conference for professional music educators.
And a group of 63 dedicated students prepared to be stretched and work hard.
It's the makings of a once in a lifetime experience... that happened for the SECOND time.
In May 2024, members of the Starkville High School Wind Ensemble and their instructors began preparing for a concert. In conjunction with the start of rehearsals for the fall marching season, the concert performers also began learning and practicing new music and original compositions –– the loose workings of a meaningful concert repertoire that would honor a classmate gone too soon, highlight the composition talents of an SHS Band alumni, and create a unique musical experience that many band directors across the state would not forget.
Each year, the Mississippi Bandmasters Association, a professional organization for K-12 and collegiate band directors, hosts a statewide conference and clinic for members and music educators for the purpose of learning, working with honor band students and professional development. Each year, a high school band is selected to perform in the opening concert for the event. The selection is a high honor as it aims to showcase highly regarded programs from the state, and schools are given freedom to create a concert repertoire worthy of the occasion.
When the Starkville High School Wind Ensemble was announced as the featured band for the 86th annual State Clinic to be held in December 2024, it marked the second time in five years that Starkville High School was invited to perform at the convention. The Wind Ensemble also performed in 2019, and Shawn Sullivan, SOCSD Director of Bands, set out to make the second "once-in-a-lifetime" experience a memorable one for students, directors, and concert-goers alike.
"What an honor and privilege it was to represent Starkville as the featured band at the MBA state convention for the second time," Sullivan said. "Our students worked extremely hard on this repertoire. I could not have been happier with the way they performed and their professionalism throughout rehearsals and the concert day."
SOCSD Superintendent, Dr. Tony McGee, echoed this sentiment.
"The opportunity for our students to perform for band directors and clinicians from across the state is a testament to their hard work," McGee said. "I am very proud of our students and staff for all the work they put into making this concert such an excellent representation of our community."
The Yellow Jacket Band program exemplifies the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District's commitment to excellence and a continued emphasis on inspiring and training students to excel in the performing arts. This attention to inspiring students is found in the choice of repertoire and performance opportunities that stretch band members beyond what they may have experienced before. Sullivan says that one such experience is the opportunity to work with young composers to bring their work to life. For the Bandmasters concert, one of those composers was also a Starkville High graduate.
Carlos Kemp, Jr., known to his colleagues and friends as "CJ" is a 2017 graduate of Starkville High School and currently serves as an assistant band director for his alma mater. His composition, "The Winter Holiday Extravaganza" world premiered at the SHS Wind Ensemble Bandmasters performance as the opening piece. Sullivan commissioned the composition specifically for the concert, and relished the opportunity to showcase a former student as well as allow student musicians to gain experience working with a composer.
"I can remember CJ as one of my students at Starkville High," Sullivan said, "and I am extremely proud of his accomplishments. I asked him to write a concert opener for our program, and it was wonderful that our students were able to work alongside him and grow as he fine-tuned the composition."
Sullivan says the opportunity to work with a composer each day is a unique situation not every high school band member around the state is able to enjoy. Students had the benefit of knowing and working directly with Mr. Kemp to perfect not only their performance, but the composition itself. It's not the first time SHS Wind Ensemble musicians have had the chance to work with a composer of one of the pieces they are learning.
The Bandmasters concert repertoire also included "In My Father's Eyes," a composition by Mississippi-based composer, Julie Giroux, that memorializes the children who lost their lives in the 1963 Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, AL. The piece featured cello soloist, Dr. Amy Catron, an MSU Department of Music faculty member who also serves as instructor for the SOCSD Jacket Strings elementary program. In addition, Jude Raffel, a senior Wind Ensemble oboe player and All-State Honor Choir member performed a vocal solo as part of the performace.
"In My Father's Eyes" was the second piece composed by Giroux that the ensemble has performed, and students were able to play and speak virtually with Giroux about her compositions and gain insight into her intent with the music as well as artistic direction on their performance.
An additional unique part of the Bandmasters concert was the world premiere of "Be that of the Wind," a composition for woodwind quintet and percussion by Nathan Daughtrey, and conducted by Trenton Brown, SHS Percussion Director. In addition to the innovative presentation from the combination of percussive arts and woodwind sound, the piece had special significance for the band. It was commissioned by Sullivan to be part of the repertoire as a tribute to SHS classmate, Natalie Williams, who passed away in 2023. Williams was a member of the SHS Tennis and Cross Country teams as well as a flute player in the SHS Band. The thematic and harmonic material of the piece was generated by transforming the name "Natalie" into chromatic pitches.
"We were fortunate to be able to commission this percussion ensemble from Nathan Daughtry," Sullivan said. "Daughtry is one of Mr. Brown's favorite composers. It was a great way to remember Natalie and also to showcase our percussion and woodwind quintet."
"We are always excited to provide these types of opportunities to our students," Sullivan continued. "Not every high school band member has the chance to work with composers, hear directly from them, and to learn and perform these special pieces created just for our group. We're fortunate to have great music partners and also such outstanding talent on our staff."
"Putting good teachers and adults in front of our students each day is a priority for the district," said McGee. "There is really no substitute for the learning and opportunities students can have to succeed through face-to-face time with teachers who care, particularly those who are already excelling in their fields like what we see with the Band staff."
Sullivan agrees.
"Trenton Brown and CJ Kemp are two up-and-coming young directors that have made a huge impact on our program as they expose students to innovative ideas every day," he said. "It's a joy to see the commitment to students these guys and our whole team have as it plays out with each rehearsal and performance."
This commitment to students reveals itself each year in the program's successes. The Jacket Band's tradition of excellence includes nearly two decades of straight All-Superior ratings from the Mississippi High School Activities Association, multiple students who are selected each year for accolades such as Honor Bands and Lions Band, and regional recognition from the newest group, Starkville Indoor Percussion, now in it's third competitive season. But, Sullivan says the love of music is the driver for student opportunities.
In a concert that Sullivan described as the highlight of his career, his love for the music, but more importantly, the students was evident. In a memorable moment near the end of the concert, Sullivan accepted a trophy presented by the Mississippi Bandmasters Association to recognize the Wind Ensemble's performance and selection as featured band.
"I want to thank the students on stage," Sullivan said with emotion as he accepted the honor. As he spoke, he called out several extracurricular activities like sports, theatre and choir and asked students to stand to signify their participation in multiple school programs. The number of students involved in such a variety of activities brought applause, and maybe a little surprise, from the crowd.
"What I love about Starkville is that we're about more than just doing one thing," Sullivan continued. "We have kids who are involved in so many things. This is a diverse group of young adults who come together to make music for the love of music, and it's a wonderful thing."
Superintendent Tony McGee sees beyond the music to the impact for the whole district and for students who are just beginning to understand their own potential.
"As a high performing school district, SOCSD strives to provide students with opportunities to excel academically while also pursuing their passion, purpose and potential through outstanding arts and extra-curricular activities," McGee said. "The Yellow Jacket band programs are a shining example of this commitment in action, and I am continually impressed by our students' dedication to preparation, practice and honing their talents as they discover themselves while representing the Jacket Family and our community."
To view the SHS Wind Ensemble's performance at the 86th Annual MBA State Band Clinic, check out this YouTube recording...
