Redcoat Band Marches On

The Gainesville High School Redcoat Band is a staple not only in the high school, but also in the district and the community. The band is introduced to the community in the annual Redcoat Showcase in August, which launches the busy marching and contest season for the band.

In addition to the many football games, hours and hours of practice helped prepare the Redcoats for the fall marching contests. In September, they competed and earned first place in Class A for the second consecutive year at the Golden Triangle Classic in Denton. Later that same day, they earned third overall out of twelve bands at the Chris Lovejoy Memorial Festival in Whitesboro. These contests were quickly followed by the Aubrey Marching Classic, where the Redcoats competed against other 4A bands from the Area. The Redcoats competed in the USBands Tournament at AT&T Stadium for the first time, placing 7th overall. In Celina, the Redcoats earned 11th place.

Unfortunately, the Redcoat streak of earning a Division I in the Regional contest came to an end this year with the last-minute score change of one judge, resulting in an overall rating of Division II.

“I am proud of the students, the obstacles that we have faced, and what we have been able to accomplish,” said Tony Daniels, Director of Fine Arts and Bands. “It is humbling to be a part of such a resilient group of teens, parents and administrators. This group of students continued to face adversity and did not quit.”

The band preparations for the spring concert season began even earlier this year, with plans to enter the Outstanding Performance Series (OPS) circuit for the Association for Small School Texas Bands (ASSTB). This would be another first because Gainesville has never entered the concert band recording circuit. Although the UIL, US Bands, and Bands of America circuits are more visual to the public, the OPS Concert circuit is much more competitive.

Although the UIL competition had some setbacks, band members did progress in the All-region band auditions. Not only did the band host the All-Region contest for the first time in 20 years, but we also saw 11 students make it into the All-Region band, and four students advanced to All-Area. This is an improvement on last year’s audition prospects and is nearly double the amount of students in All-Region from last year, and four times

as many who made it to Area.

The students who made the All-Region band were Jenifer Mejia, Paola Rico and alternate Ruby Martinez (flutes), Isabel Hernandez, Alexis Rico and Melaina Denison (clarinets), Jesus Melchor, Johany Marin and Kohen Stuck (trumpets), Amira Kahn (french horn), Phoenix Kemp (euphonium), and Loredo Balderas Galan (tuba). Advancing to Area were Jesus Melchor, Johany Marin, Phoenix Kemp, and Loredo

Balderas Galan. Dr. Ellen Gay has joined the staff this year as the Director of Percussion. She comes to GISD with 22 years of experience teaching. In her short time here, she is already well respected by the students and staff alike. Dr. Gay’s educational philosophy for her students is to “keep going” and this surfaces in areas of mental toughness and focus. With a young drumline, patience and nurturing ways will pay dividends for the group as their playing levels increase. Loredo Balderas Galan.

The Junior High Bands also had a busy Fall, performing for the student body at pep rallies and at the Veteran's Day assembly. The GJH Band also got to experience being a member of the Redcoat Marching Band during the Leopards football game in October. The band also had its share of celebrations when eight students made the All-Region Band: Rithika Chitoor, Matthew Becerra, Ariel Aguilera, Isaac Martinez, Jennifer Rodriguez, Logan Davis, Ruby Kemp, Shawn Rucker, and Abel Aguilera.