Come enjoy the performance of the Ashe County Middle School beginning bands and eighth grade band, under the direction of Paula Carlton, tonight at 7 p.m. in the school gymnasium. The public is invited to hear the talents of these student musicians and witness their hard work that develops a lifelong skill and love for the performing arts. Admission is free.

On Saturday, Jan. 22, ACMS Band Director Paula Carlton took some of her eighth grade band students to the annual All-District Band auditions held at Central Davidson Middle School. These students had volunteered earlier in the school year to memorize scales and work on assigned solos for this audition. They also had to play a piece of music they had never seen before in front of various band directors who acted as judges for the auditions.

A large number of students from middle schools in the Northwest District competed that day for a chair in one of the two honor bands to be formed: the second group known as the concert band and the first group known as the symphonic band. Two ACMS students received scores from the auditions that resulted in their placement in these bands. Jacob O’Neal Fernandez placed fourth chair alto saxophone in the concert band and Elijah Dejonge placed sixth chair trumpet in the symphonic band.

On Friday morning, Feb. 11, Carlton took Jacob and Elijah to R J Reynolds Auditorium in Winston Salem to spend the day rehearsing with students from all over the district that also did well in their auditions. The following morning the students rehearsed again, putting the finishing touches on the music they had just learned and gave a public performance that afternoon. This is a very prestigious honor for student musicians and requires hard work and ambition. Jacob and Elijah represented ACMS and the band program very well.

The ACMS eighth grade band is presently preparing for State Band Festival to be held at Lenoir-Rhyne University on March 22.