Band, choir earn top ratings at festival

Blake Olmstead, choir director for Mountain Home High School, leads the ninth grade mixed choir during a rehearsal April 27 at the city's junior high school. The rehearsal, held before dozens of parents, helped prepare Mountain Home's high school and junior high school bands and choirs for the annual District 3 large group middle school and high school music festival April 30 and May 1 in Caldwell. The ninth grade choirs wrap up their performance season with an end-of-year concert at 7 p.m. May 11 at the high school. (Photo by Brian S. Orban)

Students from the Hacker Middle School Band and Choir received excellent ratings during the District III Middle School Large Ensemble Festival this past week.

Thirty-two seventh-grade band students from Hacker attended the festival held at Caldwell High School last Thursday. Twenty-two area middle and junior high schools performed at the Band Festival.

Forty-nine sixth- and seventh-grade students attended the festival at Columbia High School last Friday, where 20 area middle and junior high schools performed at the Choir Festival.

Prior to the festivals, both Hacker and the Mountain Home Junior High School Band and Choir took part in the District III Middle School Solo and Small Ensemble Festival.

In total, 98 Hacker students performed instrumental or vocal skills. They received: two Outstanding ratings, 24 Excellents and 22 Superiors.

The students from the junior high received overall ratings of one Outstanding, nine Excellents and 10 Superiors.

"The students did a great job and represented Hacker Middle School very well," said Mona Jackson, Hacker Middle School Band and Choir director.