FISD awarded “Best Community for Music Education” title for sixth time
IHS band performed “Birds of Paradise” at the Plano East Marching Invitational on Oct. 1 2022 at Plano East. (Youtube/@Shannon Kilburn)
FISD was named the “Best Community for Music Education (BCME) for the sixth time in a row on Dec. 7, 2022.
The BCME Award is given to districts by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation which brings awareness to the importance of music and helps support communities that are prominent in the fine arts (band, orchestra, choir, art).
“The rigorous selection process takes into account music education from all angles,” said Pete Hazzard, fine arts managing director, in an interview with FISD.
The reward assesses the skill level, hard work, and overall accomplishments of students and staff involved in music across districts.
One of the driving factors for receiving this recognition was the 15 achievements made by the IHS band in its six state-wide contests over the past year:
Little Elm “Classic on the Lake” Marching Contest
The Little Elm “Classic on the Lake” Marching Contest was hosted at Little Elm ISD on Sept. 24, 2022. IHS band won third place overall, made third in the preliminaries, and was granted the “Percussion Caption” (awards the best percussion) in the preliminaries.
Plano East Marching Invitational
The Plano East Marching Invitational was a marching band competition between different schools scheduled for Oct. 1, 2022, at Plano East. IHS band won the “Overall High School Marching Award”, third place in preliminaries, the highest overall music score in preliminaries, the “5A caption Award” (awards the most outstanding music, marching, percussion, and color guard), and made history as the first IHS band to land second place overall.
Region 24 UIL Marching Band Contest
The Region 24 UIL Marching Band Contest was a marching contest located at Little Elm, Texas on Oct. 15, 2022. At this competition, IHS band was given a First Division rating (superior rating) and made it to the area competition.
UIL Area B 5A marching Contest
The UIL Area B 5A marching Contest was a school-wide competition between marching bands held at McKinney ISD Stadium on Oct. 22, 2022. IHS band was able to place sixth place in the preliminary and final rounds.
Lewisville Drumline Contest
The Lewisville Drumline Contest was a competition arranged at Lewisville High School on Nov. 5, 2022, where the IHS band’s drumline competed against other schools and won the titles of, “Outstanding Bass Line” and “Outstanding Quads” (award for outstanding percussion), along with first place overall.
Despite the fact that the competition season is over, IHS band members appreciate the journey that they have taken, and the future to come.
“Though long, this marching season has been memorable,” said Suhas Ghatti, junior, varsity drumline member. “Due to our amazing musicians and directors, we won some awards and I am for sure looking forward to that next year.”
