For the third year in a row, the Gainesville High School Band has earned, or taken the Sweepstakes.

“Sweepstakes means first divisions for the three areas of contest: Marching Band, Concert Performance and Sight-Reading,” GHS band director Bryan Ferrell said. “That’s as good as we can do this year. Then if you add that to a first division on Marching Contest, which we had in the fall, that gives you the sweepstakes. That’s the highest possible rating in each area that you can compete in UIL that year. That’s the third year we’ve done that, in a row, which has never happened in this school before. There’s only been five sweepstakes in the history of the school.”

Ferrel said that the schools really competes against a standard and not against each other. There is a rubric (standard) that judges use to score the band. While the band is performing, their adherance to those standards or rules determine the level they receive.

“There are five levels,” he explained. “Superior is the best and then excellent, average, below average and poor. We had superior from all six judges on Tuesday.”

For the sight-reading contest, the music is handed to the band at the contest, meaning they’ve never seen it before.

“It is handed to us and we get to look at it and for five minutes we can just discuss it, talk about key, talk about retards...technical things,” Ferrell said. “Then I get an extra three minutes where I can actually count rhythms to them, sing some parts to them, then we get to play it. So, it’s an interesting process and you know the idea there is just to test what type of knowledge these kids are getting in their daily classwork.”

For the concert performance, the band can play two from a list and then any march they choose, and it’s a fairly rigid structure, Ferrell said.

Now, the band is getting ready for the Spring Fling, put on by the City of Gainesville in the park, and theater arts dinner theater.

“Then we have the Medal of Honor Parade in April that we’re going to get ready for and then we have a spring concert,” Ferrell continued. The jazz band and the concert band will come together to perform for the events.

Ferrell said the school district starts band classes in the sixth grade and teachers work hard to help the music students be successful by trying to establish a real consistent plan for them.The district determines what to teach, how the students are going to learn, what the standards of performance are and expectations for the students. For example, This means terminology is established to use throughout the grades.

“You’ve got to align everything so that the terminology the kids use stays the same,” he continued. “Things such as length of note, how we’re going to phrase, count, a whole note in high school is counted the same way as it is in 6th grade.”

GHS band student Koby Parks said he really doesn’t know how he got into music.

“I just like listening to music and playing music,” Parks said. “Awesome” is the word he used to described their sweepstakes win.

Senior Jillian Martin, who plays percussion, said she has played music for a long time but just started band last year when she was a junior. She said she is involved in a lot of school activities, but band is the funnest.

Freshman Ross Moore also plays percussion and has been playing in band since the sixth grade.

“It’s good cause we got all ones,” Moore said of their receiving “firsts” for their division wins.

Moore said besides practicing at school in the classroom, he also practices at home.

“If you want to try it (music), try it,” said sophomore Brian Cosgrove, who plays the trumpet. “If you don’t like it, oh well. You can stick with it like we did. I like it, I’m happy.”

Frederick Thompson said music is important to him.

“Especially in a town like this, it is important to get involved in something,” Thompson said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be in band, just get involved. It’s the best thing you can do.

“It was worth all the time and practice,” Thompson said of their win.

Thompson said that Ferrell is an amazing band director.

“He’s great,” Thompson continued. “He’s done so much for the group. We’re all read proud of him and he’s proud of us.”

The band students not graduating this year said they will work to win the sweepstakes again next year.

Ferrell has been with GISD and GHS eight years teaching music. In addition to teaching at GHS, he also assists Gainesville Middle School band director Kristi Moore over at the middle school in the mornings.

Ferrell, who plays the trumpet, said he got into music himself when he started band in fourth grade and just kept doing it.

He said his advice to students, in band and life in general is to, “Develop a work ethic, because anything you’re going to do, whether it’s music or whatever, you have to stay after it. It’s not a part-time thing. You have to practice and always try to get better. If you’re not getting better you’re getting worse, because you can’t stay the same.

“Music playing is a skill, as are a number of other things whether it’s jogging or weight-lifting or golf or whatever you want to do, it’s not going to stay the same,” Ferrell added. “You’re going to have to get better and if you don’t work at it it’s going to get worse. So you just have to stay after it. Always try to find something when you practice. You want to play and have fun and just for enjoyment, but you always need to include a few minutes and try to improve something that you think you need to make a little better.”