On Feb. 18 the Rockbridge County High School and Parry McCluer High School bands performed a concert in the RCHS Auditorium. The concert took place at 6pm and served as a pre-assessment practice for their upcoming official assessment.

At this pre-assessment, all bands performed for a panel of judges. Junior Theo Martini is a member of percussion who performed for this panel. 

“The judges there were voting on our ability and skill,” Martini said. “They also gave comments on what we could improve on for the next time.”

The grades the bands received were not official, but rather adequate feedback and suggested changes.

The pre-assessment was set up like an open practice for band members that lasted an hour long. The first 30 minutes was dedicated to the RCHS band and the last 30 minutes were reserved for the PMHS band. 

“The official assessment is on March 6 in Harrisonburg. This is where the real judges will judge us and give us our grade,” Martini said. 

On March 6, the bands will not be competing against each other, but getting grades based on their performance and ability. These grades are defined as: Superior, Excellent, Average, Below Average, and Poor, with “Superior” being the greatest rating and “Poor” being the lowest rating. 

“We’ve been preparing for our assessment by practicing in class everyday,” Martini said. “We also had some extra practices after school.”