On Saturday, February 8th, the Plymouth High School Band department hosted the annual ISSMA Solo and Ensemble District competition. Several hundred students from nearly 20 area schools performed and competed at this event.
Band members who compete in this event are responsible to perform a solo or in an ensemble and can compete in five different ability levels of competition. The top level (Group 1) requires students to select advanced-level music literature from a required state list. Students who earn a Gold rating in Group 1 are eligible to advance to the ISSMA Solo and Ensemble State Finals on February 29th.
This year, every Group 1 event from Plymouth High School advanced to the state finals. This was inclusive of nine solo entries and 27 ensemble entries (from 3 large ensembles). Additionally, one senior band member, Hailey Casper, advanced to the state finals with solos on four different instruments. “This was a huge accomplishment for our band members. I don’t know when the last time was that every event in Group 1 advanced to state. Our kids worked very hard this year and put in a lot of practice time after school to make this happen,” said PHS band director Bryan Ames. “I also don’t know that I have had a student compete with four solos on four different instruments before. Hailey did an amazing job working hard to prepare all of that music and she advanced to state in four different categories.”
The ISSMA Solo and Ensemble State Finals will be held at North Central High School in Indianapolis on Saturday, February 29th.
State finalists from Plymouth included:
Michael Berg: saxophone sextet and woodwind choir
Audrie Burton: saxophone sextet
Joel Carter: brass sextet
Hailey Casper: marimba solo, snare drum solo, drum set solo, tenor drum solo
Shelby Casteel: brass sextet
Oscar De La Torre: brass sextet
Anica Denney: saxophone sextet and woodwind choir
Nathan Filson: trumpet solo
Guadalupe Flores: woodwind choir
Jesus Gama: woodwind choir
Allie Haas: woodwind choir
Jonathan Hernandez: brass sextet
Ben Hutchings: woodwind choir
Elle Houin, clarinet solo and woodwind choir
William Kingston: trumpet solo
Jacob Kowatch: woodwind ensemble
Brianna Leary: woodwind ensemble
Jake Mathews: saxophone sextet
Steven Myers: saxophone sextet and woodwind choir
Romina Navejar: woodwind choir
Rachel Ray: brass sextet
Benton Sayavongsing: brass sextet
Elli Schaller: woodwind choir and saxophone sextet
Eli Schramm: snare drum solo
Selina Zheng, flute solo and woodwind choir
Additional Plymouth High School students who competed as soloists in the District competition in Group 2 and 3 included: Winston Edwards (gold medal), Ben Hutchings (gold medal), Shaylee Lofting (silver medal), Hannah Mathews (gold medal), and Joseph Raymond (gold medal)
Congratulations to the Plymouth Band members who competed in the ISSMA District competition and good luck to the students representing Plymouth High School at the ISSMA State Finals.
