On March 6, 2026, Wind Symphony performed three pieces at their assessments with three judges scoring them a superior, contributing to the band program becoming a Virginia Honor Band for the 2025-2026 school year.
Director Gary English explained the intense preparation that went into performing. “We performed at a grade 6 level, which is the highest level of difficulty that we have in Virginia. And that was a choice based on a lot of different factors. I spent probably anywhere between 20 to 30 hours listening to music, going through and seeing if it’s the right pieces for us,” he said.
Wind Symphony had seven weeks to learn their three songs including a 2.5 minute piece called The Directorate by John Philip Sousa, 15 minute Council Oak by David Gillingham, and 10 minute Strange Humors by John Mackey. Rehearsals took place after school once a week in addition to class time.
Although they received a superior, there were a variety of obstacles Wind Symphony students had to overcome. English said, “I would say that almost every band director in Virginia hates every snow day with every passion in our body. We lost about 10 hours over the course of the time that we had off. We have not gotten a superior very easily. I thought we had the ability to be able to do the things we needed to do, but there were definitely moments that I wish we could have done a little bit more.”
Bassoon player Phillip Freeman also had challenges hindering his rehearsal. “My eyes are really bad. I have issues because of my retina stretching sideways where it puts a static effect over my vision that makes everything kind of look like a 1960s color TV. I’ll just sit and I’ll figure out a piece by ear while I’m waiting to try and get my eyes to focus back on what I’m doing.”
English emphasized the immense effort each student put into rehearsal. For example, Clarinet player Sofia Martinez had never played her instrument prior to this year. “I’m kind of new at it. So I also had to work harder than someone who’s played clarinet since middle school,” she said.
