Blue Devil Band Reaches New Heights
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BRANDON – The Water Valley High School Blue Devil Band made history Saturday with its first appearance at the state marching championship in Brandon under the competition’s current format. The band finished seventh among Class 2A competitors, but director Wes Brown said the experience was a major accomplishment for a program that has worked for years to reach that level.
“To me, they had probably one of their best performances, if not the best performance of the year,” Brown said.
The appearance followed the band’s All-Superior performance at the State Marching Evaluation in Grenada earlier this month.
Brown said every band at the championship had already earned superior ratings, making the competition a significant step up.
“Everybody there is already a superior band,” he said. “So you’re getting to that next level.”
Brown said the students learned how closely judges evaluate individual musicians and the importance of performing with confidence.
“Everybody matters. There’s no hiding,” Brown said. The experience has also raised Brown’s expectations for the program.
“My thing now is I want to make superior the standard,” he said.
Brown said the most important lesson from Saturday extends beyond music.
“We can do the cool things that are hard,” he said.
