Fairbanks band achieves a first
November 06, 2009 at 6:37 am
By KARLYN BYERS
Pictured left - Fairbanks High School Band members, from left, back row, Josh Long, sousaphone, and Caleb Ridgeway, snare drum; center, Moriah Epling, mallet percussion; and front row, Colene Knaub, trumpet; Melissa Fink, field commander; and Jordan Schrader, trumpet, are pictured on the high school football field. The seniors are part of the FHS band members who qualified for state competition Saturday in Dublin.
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Will compete in state-level competition
For the first time in school history, Fairbanks High School’s marching band has qualified for state-level competition.
The Marching Panthers will compete Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dublin Coffman High School in the OMEA (Ohio Music Educators Association) State Marching Band Contest. Awards will be presented at 3 p.m.
Forty-three members strong, the band will perform its “Nightmare Before Christmas” program, the one which was awarded a superior rating at this fall’s Buckeye Invitational at Ohio State University.
Bands must receive a superior rating in at least one of seven marching competitions to qualify for Saturday’s contest, Fairbanks band director Ben Keller said.
Keller said he has been directing students for 17 years, and this is the first time for state qualification. But this year’s band is an exceptional bunch, he said.
“This is the first group I’ve ever had in all my years of (directing) that doesn’t flinch at competition,” he said.
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