RMPA State Championships

So yesterday, Alameda's Winter Percussion ensemble competed at the Rocky Mountain Percussion Association State Championships. There were four schools in their class - Sand Creek, Standley Lake, Glenwood Springs, and Alameda. Three schools would make finals. Here is a video of Alameda's show (during a rehearsal right before finals).


The kids played well during prelims. We discovered that after prelims, Glenwood Springs had a score of 84.20, Alameda had an 81.70, and Sand Creek had an 81.50. So yay! They made finals, but were pretty comforatbly in second place. The kids watched some of the shows and went out to rehearse a bit before finals. They absolutely ROCKED their finals performance. It was by far their best performance of the year! It was so fun to see them play. They knew they played their hearts out. When they announced the scores, they said, "In third place, with a score of 81.15, Sand Creek High School. In second place, with a score of 84.40 (and at this point we all gasped! Our score had jumped almost 3 whole points since prelims!!!) Alameda High School. In first place, with a score of 84.90, Glenwood Springs High School." The kids (and instructors) were THRILLED with their score! They knew they had given it their all and it paid off. So they were all excited, but then they kind of felt weird knowing they were only half a point out of first place. Either way, they were very proud of themselves, and we are so happy for them! They've been through a lot in the last year.

Along those lines, Monday was the anniversary of last year's accident. For those who don't know, last year, on the way to the competition, a band parent was driving the percussion trailer and was in an accident and was killed. Four other people were hospitalized, including several current members. After the finals performance yesterday, the news crews wanted to interview Kevin. Here's a link to the story: http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-alameda-band-crash-year-later,0,2926440.story

These kids really have overcome a lot, and we're all so proud of them! It was a very fun and rewarding day.