Bringing Home the Hardware

Band and Choir Excel at Flint Hills League Competition

Article by Aundrea Koger

Here at OCHS, students and teachers alike tend to expect great things from the band.  And the band does a wonderful job of living up to those expectations.  It did it yet again at the Flint Hills League competition by bringing home a one-rating, the highest rating you can receive, along with one-ratings for every solo or small ensemble that performed.  Then at the regional solo and small ensemble competition the three soloists, senior Don Curtis on tuba, freshman Makaela Nicholson on saxophone, and freshman Hannah Mondragon on clarinet, all received one-ratings, which qualified them for state.  

Despite the normally high expectations for the OCHS band, second year band teacher Mrs. Melissa Askren was slightly surprised by the band’s successes.  “I wasn’t necessarily expecting to get ones across the board (in regards to the solos and small ensembles), but I did expect the band to get the rating that we did,” said Askren when asked about the matter.  However, even though she was confident that the band would do well, she did admit that she was nervous for the performance.  The judging was tough, with only two bands receiving one-ratings that day.  But the tips given by the judges will be of great help to the OCHS band as it gets ready for the state large group competition.

Freshman Hannah Mondragon also plans on using the advice given to her by the judges during her solo at both league and regionals in order to improve as much as possible before the state solo and small ensemble competition on April 26.  It’s almost certain that she will do well at state no matter what though, because she has been working on her solo relentlessly for the past few weeks.  “Every day after school I went home and focused on improving my pieces,” commented Mondragon, who also had performances to work on for another musical activity at OCHS that is often overlooked: choir.

After the band’s performance at league competition in Emporia it was the choir’s turn to step into the spotlight. It too brought home a one-rating, along with three one-ratings for soloists, junior Stephanie Diehl, freshman Zach Irvin, and freshman Hannah Mondragon, and a one-rating for the mixed ensemble. The girls’ ensemble, and soloist freshman Abby Gibbons, received two-ratings.

    Here at Osage City High School all extracurricular organizations excel, but few succeed as consistently as the band and the choir.  Students can always count on them to bring home the hardware, and build a great reputation for the school and the people in it.