Berkeley County School District has some talented band students.
Charleston-area Concert Performance Assessment (CPA) results are in, and among their scores, band students from Stratford High, Hanahan High and Westview Middle all helped their schools bring home Superior ratings with Distinction – the highest earning they can receive in their assessments.
Bands compete in different classifications, meaning different levels of difficulty in music selected by individual band directors; the higher the number, the higher the level of difficulty of music the band performed. Most high school bands perform in at least the level three classification, while middle school students take on levels one and two.
Ratings are similar to golf scores; the lower the number, the better the rating. An “I” represents a Superior rating; “II” is Excellent and “III” is Good.
A Superior with Distinction means all five judges gave a band the highest grade it could earn because it made the least amount of mistakes.
Schools perform prepared pieces and also have to demonstrate sight-reading skills. The following results reflect the band’s overall scores from their performances. Berkeley County School District’s school results are part of the Charleston area results.
Upper grade level CPAs last from March 14 through March 16. On the first day of performance assessments, Stratford High’s Concert Band, in the level four classification, took home a Superior rating. Hanahan High’s Concert Band, in the level three classification, scored an Excellent rating. Goose Creek High’s Wind Ensemble performed in the level five classification and also received an Excellent rating.
On the second day of performances, Hanahan High’s Wind Band performed in the level four classification and earned a Superior with Distinction, while the school’s Wind Ensemble earned a Superior in the level five classification. Philip Simmons High’s Winds group received an overall Excellent rating in the level three classification. Berkeley High’s School Wind Ensemble, in the level five classification, earned an Excellent rating.
The Stratford High Wind Orchestra received a Superior with Distinction within the level six classification during the third and final day of performance assessments. Goose Creek High’s Symphonic Band earned an Excellent rating in the level three classification.
Middle school bands had their concert performance assessments on March 21 and March 22. On the first day, Sedgefield Middle’s Symphonic Band, in the level two classification, earned an Excellent rating.
On the second day, Westview Middle’s Honor Band took home a Superior with Distinction in the level two classification. Both Hanahan Middle’s Symphonic Band and Sangaree Middle’s band students scored Superior ratings in the level two classification. Cane Bay Middle’s Honor Band earned a Good rating in the same classification.