Senior oboe player Jill Overman won the John Philip Sousa Award and senior flute player Kelsey Andrews won the John M. Long Award, highlighting last Thursday night’s award-winning Bainbridge High School Band’s spring concert and awards program at the school gymnasium.
Overman also received the Paschal Ward Music Scholarship, named for the Decatur County School System director of bands, member of the Band Directors Hall of Fame and established by the Decatur County Band Boosters. It goes annually to a deserving senior Bainbridge High School Band member who has demonstrated outstanding music talent and band skill. Overman will be attending the University of North Alabama after graduation.
The Sousa Award, which goes annually to a senior, is named for the founder of American band programs as we know them today.
Known as the “march king,” Sousa is the most well known and distinguished bandmaster in history. The Sousa Award is given in recognition of outstanding achievement and interest in instrumental music, for singular merit in loyalty and cooperation, and for displaying those high qualities of conduct that school instrumental music requires.
The John M. Long Award is named after Doctor John M. Long, one of America’s greatest bandmasters who is the dean of the school of fine arts, director of bands and distinguished professor of music emeritus at Troy University. It goes annually to a young musician who displays leadership, dependability, loyalty, cooperation, musicianship and other qualities of conduct that school instrumental music programs strive to impart.
The band was honored for 29 consecutive years of superior ratings.
The Emory Edwin and Kathleen Ivey Johnson Music Scholarship was awarded to Devin Thompson. The scholarship program was instituted in honor and recognition of Emory Edwin Johnson and Kiathleen Ivey Johnson by their son Emory Johnson and his family in 2009 upon the celebration of Edwin Johnson’s 90th birthday.
The parents of Johnson each attended public school in Decatur County. His father graduated from Attapulgus High School and his mother graduated from Seminole County High School. Both were actively involved in the school glee club and church during their young life.
As parents, the Johnsons made it possible for their children to be members of the Port St. Joe Florida High School Band in 1960, which was under the direction of Herman Dean, who served as a member of John Phillip Sousa’s last military band. Later they participated in the Leon High School Band and the Florida State University Marching Chiefs.
In honor of their parents love for music and continuing support of fine arts, the Johnson Music Scholarship will be used to continue to benefit students involved in music at Bainbridge High School.
This year the band boosters, along with all the band directors, decided to create an award that would help recognize a booster who has devoted many years of service to the Band Boosters organization.
It will be presented to a parent who has contributed to the Band Boosters as an active participant of a committee our event. The award is named in appreciation of Jean Alderman, the Band Booster who received the award this year.
Decatur County Board of Education member Randall Jones won the Joe Crine Award, named for the Post-Searchlight sports editor and given each year to a person with high morals and character who strongly supports the Decatur County Band Program.
Outstanding freshman band award winners were Mallory West, Sarah Michael Farrington Devon Poole and Regan Cutchin. Outstanding sophomore band award winners were Haley Harrell and Tyler Allen, and outstanding junior band award winners were Erin Caplan, Davin Butler and Charlie Rayfield.
Kenva Strong received the National School Marching Band Award and Andrea Clenney and Sandra Mejia received outstanding concert band member awards.
Morgan Clemons, Laura Sudderth, Taylor Colon, Chelsey Green and Contessa Jackson received Instrumentalist Magazine Musicianship Certificates.
Justin Guyton received the optimism award, Grace McIntosh received the National Patrick Gilmore Award, Yamantie Galnares received the Louie Armstrong Jazz Band Award and the High School Director’s Award. Trey Walker and Nathaniel Lambert received the Woody Herman Jazz Band Award.
Kim Burrell and Nikki Shockley received appreciation awards for the incredible amount of time and effort they put in to make the band program successful.
During the concert, the symphonic band played Army of the Nile, Precious Lord and Disney at the Movies. During the Disney at the Movies presentation, which featured music from a number of Disney musicals, Johnson Music scholarship honoree Devin Thompson played a video on a screen behind the band, which depicted scenes from a number of Disney musicals.
The concert band played Orion, Beneicion and Antares. The jazz band performed some numbers as well.