Three local high school bands have taken top honors at recent state competitions.

Monday, November 27, 2000

Three local high school bands have taken top honors at recent state competitions. They also gathered up the trophies at local competitions along the way.

Ironton High School, Rock Hill High School and Dawson-Bryant High School marching bands traveled to the Ohio State Marching Band Competitions.

There, each band scored a two out of a possible five, with one being the highest.

In his first year as Rock Hill’s band director, Eric Hambrick chose to do something a little different with the band’s repertoire

The band performed music from the Broadway musical, "Miss Saigon."

"It’s a musical that hasn’t been done very much," Hambrick said. "Most people around here hadn’t heard that music before, but they appreciated what was being done."

To reward his students for qualifying for state, Dawson-Bryant band instructor Tom Zerkle shaved his head during class.

"I try to do something for the kids every year," Zerkle said. "They just wanted to do something to make me stand out."

The songs that earned Dawson-Bryant’s band honors this year were: "You Really Got Me," "House of the Rising Sun," "Speak-Up Mambo," "At Your Disposal" and "The Sweetest Thing I’ve Ever Known."

Tipping its hat to the new millennium, the Ironton High School Band called its competition show BSTY2K – Blood Sweat and Tears Year 2000.

"Blood Sweat and Tears was a group that was very popular when I was in college," band director Bill Rath said. "I’ve always had it in the back of my mind to do a show with their music."

Rath said that many of the older members of the audience remembered the songs, "Lucretia MacEvil," "And When I Die," "Spinning Wheel" and "God Bless the Child."

Audience members also enjoyed the sign language that the color guard did to accompany the song, "You’ve Made Me So Very Happy."

The color guard received a superior rating.