The All City band clinic was Jan 24 at Classen SAS High School @ Northeast.
Other high schools that participated were Capitol Hill, Classen SAS, Douglass, Harding Fine Arts, John Marshall, Northwest Classen, Southeast, and US Grant.
The students that attended the clinic were:
- Samuel Carr — Flute
- Lizzeth Hernandez — Flute
- Noel Mercer — Flute
- Harper Ruhl — Oboes
- AJ Covey — Clarinet
- Rachel Carr — Clarinet
- Yaaron Amoorpour — Clarinet
- Jana Suarez — Clarinet
- Lucas Helm — Bass Clarinet
- Ian Ward — Bass Clarinet
- Angel Lopez — Tenor Saxophone
- JohnPaul Henderson — Percussion
The pieces the group performed were “Fanfare & Jubilation” by Roland Barrett, “Blue Ridge Reel” by Brian Balmages, “So-Called Unison” by Stephanie Berg, “Amen!” by Frank Ticheli.
“My favorite piece this year was Blueridge Real,” said senior Rachel Carr. “It was a lot of fun to play because of the fun rhythms and how the melody bounced around the band.”
The clinician for the high school band was Dr. Christopher Baumgarter. He is a professor of Music Education at OU, and he directs their New Horizon Band. He has also taught at Middle Tennessee State University and University of Missouri.
He and Christina Mueller, OKCPS’s director of Visual & Performing Arts, have founded a music teacher mentor program that is statewide.
Noel Mercer, a senior who plays the flute said, “I really enjoyed this year’s clinician! I learned a lot from him and liked his teaching techniques and style.”
