Band of Blue members perform in honor band | News | The Press and Standard

Seven Band of Blue members from Colleton County High School and Colleton County Middle School performed at the 2016 South Carolina Band Directors Association Region 4 Honor Band Clinic at the Charleston School of the Arts on  Feb. 26-27. Each January, over 1,100 high school and middle school band students from Colleton, Charleston, Dorchester, Beaufort, Jasper, Bamberg, Barnwell, Orangeburg, Clarendon, Allendale and Hampton counties audition for chairs in the four levels of concert bands that practice and perform together at the region clinic.  Earning a chair in the Region Band honors is the highest individual honor a band member can receive. Students were placed in either Junior Symphonic (7-8), Clinic (9-10) or Senior (11-12) bands for the weekend. Conductors for the honor bands included Junior Concert Band by Dr. Ophelia Darby, Junior Symphonic Band by Jim Kilgus, Clinic Band by Dr. Jerry Gatch and Senior Band by Dr. Cynthia Johnston Turner from the University of Georgia. Junior Symphonic Band members from Colleton County Middle School were Shaleesha Funn and Sydney Howard. Clinic Band (9-10) members from the Band of Blue are Maria Manaerva (not pictured) and Anthony Crimley. Senior Band (11-12) members from the Band of Blue are Erin Strauss, Alexis Lawton and Makayla Smalls. Shaleesha Funn and William Finigan, both 8th graders in the Band of Blue, earned All-State Honors and will attend the SCBDA All-State Band Clinic at Furman University next month. The Band of Blue and Colleton County Middle School Bands are now preparing for the SCBDA State Concert Festival later in March. The Band of Blue Booster Club will host the SCBDA State Winter Ensemble Championships on March 19 at Colleton County High School from 9 a.m.-10 p.m.  Seventy-five high school Winter Guards and Drumlines will compete for the state championship. Band directors are Tom Finigan, Nick Infinger, Gary Stroupe and Meredith Melven. Guard instructor is William Thomas.