By Gary Lloyd
The Clay-Chalkville Middle School Band has been invited to perform as a feature ensemble at the Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic.
The invitation came this summer from the SEUS Board of Directors, asking the band to perform on Friday, Dec. 6. The band will perform for more than 400 middle school band students and directors from Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama. In attendance at the concert will be several university and pre-service music educators, as well as internationally known composer Quincy Hilliard.
Only two middle school bands throughout the Southeastern United States are invited each year. Flat Rock Middle School from Tyrone, Ga., is the other band invited to perform. The Southeastern United States Band Clinic has been in existence 41 years, but the middle school version of the national clinic has only been occurring for the past 15 years, making the Clay-Chalkville Middle School Band one of 30 middle school bands to participate in the event.
Band Director Chris Walker said the invitation comes through evaluation of the band’s history of success over the years. The Clay-Chalkville Middle School Band has approximately 400 members in the sixth through eighth grades. The band is under the direction of Walker and Erin McLaughlin.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.