Waverly-Shell Rock 
Middle School Bands 

River City Honor Band - Mason City

 

On Saturday, April 21st, ten 5th and 6th graders from W-SR Middle School attended the 6th annual River City Honor Band held in Mason City. The honor band is hosted by the Lincoln Intermediate School band program and is for 5th and 6th grade band students in Central Iowa.

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The day consisted of leaving the middle school at 8:00, with their first rehearsal starting at 9:30. The 5th grade guest conductor was Wendy Morton, 6th grade band director at Prairie Creek Intermediate in Cedar Rapids. Mrs. Morton has received the Phillip Sehmann Excellence in Teaching Award in 2012 and her 6th grade band was selected to perform at the Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference in 2011. The 6th grade guest conductor was Peter Thompson, 6th grade band director at Ames Middle School and assistant director at Ames High School. Mr. Thompson served three seasons as the pep band director for the Iowa State Cyclone Basketball Pep Bands.

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The day consisted of 3.5 total hours of rehearsal, a 45 minute sectional, lunch, and a concert at 4:00 - so the students had a jam-packed day! 5th grade W-SR students that attended were: Kelby Aissen (percussion), Colton Stephens (trombone), Tyler Gade (tenor sax), Austin Soldwich (tuba), and Lidia Pawlak (bassoon). 6th grade W-SR students that attended were: Brenna Bodensteiner (baritone), Annika Ross (flute), Ayden Bockholt (tenor sax), Bradley Sage (french horn), and Anya Drenkow (trumpet).

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The students did a tremendous job, had a lot of fun, learned a lot, and represented our school with pride. Playing in a large band setting with students they've never played with before is always a great experience for any musician. There are more honor band opportunities for the students as the years progress, so keep up the hard work! It pays off in the end!

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