Dare County Schools

Selected Dare County Schools middle and high school musicians accompanied their band directors on Saturday, January 9 to participate in auditions for the upcoming 2010 Eastern District All-District Band Clinic. The auditions were held in Greenville at E.B. Aycock Middle and Rose High schools.  The All-District band clinic is scheduled for February 5 and 6 in Greenville at East Carolina University's Wright Auditorium. This year, more Dare County students qualified for seats in the All-District Band than ever before.

Under the direction of Sam Ballard, seven First Flight Middle School students had successful auditions.
"In the Symphonic band we will have Morgan Leatherwood on oboe, Lucy Mason on alto clarinet and Liah McPherson on flute; in the Concert band we will have Jose Valle and Leah Wingenroth on clarinet, Matthew Harrington on tuba and Chase Budde on timpani," noted Ballard.

Under the direction of Bob Ebert, First Flight High School sophomore Mei Mei Cook on bassoon, freshman Nick Nelson on alto clarinet, and sophomore Becca DeLucia on trumpet won seats in the All-District 9/10 grade Band.

Under the direction of Larry Keeler, Manteo Middle School's Gage Clawson was selected to be 5th chair trumpet in the Middle School Eastern All-District Symphonic Band. Manteo High School sophomore Mason Jensen was selected to be 9th chair clarinet in the 9/10 Eastern All-District Band, and junior Caroline Lowcher was selected to be 3rd chair flute in the 11/12 Eastern All-District Band.  

Under the direction of Sean McCroskey qualifying to participate in the All-District Band and Clinic - two Cape Hatteras Secondary Middle School students Abby Gray, 2nd chair clarinet MS Symphonic Band, and Andrea Hueck, 4th chair trumpet MS Symphonic Band; and high school student Brad Dunnagan as 6th chair trumpet 11/12 Band.

These students will be returning to Greenville on February 4 for the All-District band clinic and final concert at East Carolina University on Saturday February 6, 2010.

Notably, nine students - again, a Dare County record - placed in the Symphonic Band to qualify for auditions in the All-State Band in March 2010:

FFMS' Morgan Leatherwood and Lucy Mason, MMS' Gage Clawson, MHS' Caroline Lowcher, FFHS' Mei Mei Cook, Nick Nelson, and Becca DeLucia, and CHSSCS'  Abby Gray and Andrea Hueck. To earn a seat in the All-State Band is the highest achievement for public school band students in North Carolina.