On Monday, May 10, over 140 students representing the Prairie High School Music Department participated in the Iowa High School Music Association’s annual State Large Group Music Festival through a virtual adjudication process.  The Symphonic Band A, Symphonic Band B, and Wind Symphony have been preparing this music for the past couple of months, culminating in a recorded performance last week during class time.

Three adjudicators evaluated each band’s performance and provided critique in the areas of tone quality, intonation, rhythm, blend & balance, technique, articulation, and musical interpretation.  Each ensemble was then rated in accordance with the following Iowa High School Music Association (IHSMA) standards:

Division I          – Superior          Outstanding in every detail

Division II         – Excellent        Minor performance flaws

Division III       – Good               Good, with basic weaknesses

Division IV       – Fair                  Unsatisfactory for our level

Division V         – Poor                 Many areas of weaknesses

We are excited to announce that the Wind Symphony received DIVISION-I “SUPERIOR” RATINGS from each of the adjudicators.  This marks the 33rd time in the past 35 years to be awarded this distinction!  Our Symphonic Band ensembles this year performed for “Comments Only,” where they receive feedback from each of the adjudicators but no scores or rating.

Congratulations to our student musicians and the entire Prairie High School band program!