The Sundown Roughneck Band is the Area A Marching Band Champion! These students put on the best show of the year yesterday in the Area Prelims...and then really turned it on in the Finals! We are so proud of this group and this "legendary" show!
This qualifies The Pride of the Oil Patch for the Texas State Marching Contest, which will be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX on Tuesday, November 8th. We will post information for the State Marching Contest as it becomes available. A contest schedule should be available this afternoon, and of course I am working on the itinerary and other things. Thanks to all for your support of our Sundown band students! It means the world to them to see all of that red, white, and blue in the stands, and that crowd was wild at the Area Contest yesterday...even got a mention from one of our judges after the Finals performance! It was a solid week of rehearsals for the Roughneck Band. This week's individual recognitions are all in the tuba section! Our Rookie of the Week is Alana Ledesma, and 8th grade tuba player with a huge personality, a kind heart, and a confidence that has grown throughout the season! The section of the week is...you guessed it...the tuba section! These students are much like your offensive line It on the football team -- they don't get nearly the credit they deserve for the stability they provide for their team! And this week's Pumpjack Award goes to Watson Evans, a junior tuba player and the male vocalist for our marching show. So many stories to tell about Watson...some funny stories, and some stories of perseverance, great leadership, and talent. Congratulations to Alana, Watson, and the tuba section! SHOUT OUT This week's shoutout goes to our Uniform Crew and Loading Crew. These students volunteer their time to make our loading and unloading process go smoothly when we travel. As I'm sure you've noticed, our band is large and we have a lot of equipment that travels with us! This is something that would be impossible for the band directors to do alone, and we appreciate these students! Stay tuned to our Facebook page and student emails for updates on the State Marching Contest!
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After earning first division ratings last weekend and qualifying for the Area A Marching Contest, our students had another good week of rehearsals. Our drill writer, Mr. Joshua Shaw, came to our Tuesday Night rehearsal as a clinician and offered some valuable insight into our show! The Roughneck Band finished out the week with another energetic halftime performance at the Post game, and now we enter into our final week of preparation for the State qualifying round!
Our Rookie of the Week is Lillie Rodriguez, an 8th grade flute player who is a huge contributor on the field! She works hard every day to be sure she knows her marching routine, asks questions when needed, and always wears a smile. The Section of the Week is the color guard! These fantastic students add so much to our show and have greatly improved their timing and technique in the past week. The Pumpjack Award this week goes to Lizzie Corley, a senior horn player and one of the vocalists in our show. Lizzie is a shining example of the "Roughneck Way" as she leads by example, by word, and in all that she does. Congratulations to Lillie, Lizzie, and the color guard! SHOUT OUT The shoutout this week goes to our HOFs. What is a HOF, you ask? In short, this group of students just takes good care of our band family. Every Friday, they leave a note of encouragement in each band member's locker...and sometimes even a piece of candy! They make a special effort to check on their fellow band members throughout the season and to help where they can..."How is your music? How is your marching? How are your grades?" This group of students does the little things that make a huge difference. Thank you, HOFs! The itinerary for Friday's game at New Deal, as well as the itinerary for what is hopefully a very long day on Saturday, will be available in student emails by Wednesday of this week (maybe Tuesday!). We also expect the ticket link for the Area Contest to be available soon, and we will share that on our Facebook page and in student emails. What a solid week of rehearsals for The Pride of the Oil Patch, ending with a First Division rating from all 3 judges at the UIL Region 16 Marching Contest! The Roughneck Band has advanced to the UIL Area A Marching Contest, which will take place at Lowrey Field in Lubbock on Saturday, October 29th.
Our Rookie of the Week is Rylan Carr, an 8th grade baritone player who moved to Sundown this year and has really jumped in with both feet! His marching has improved tremendously, and he is a big contributor to that "Sundown Sound"! The Section of the Week is the clarinet section! Being heard on the marching field is quite the challenge for this instrument, and they have shown great improvement this week! And our Pumpjack Award this week goes to Anastasia Robinson, a senior clarinet player who is a fantastic leader for her section and anyone near her on the marching field. Congratulations to Rylan, Anastasia, and the clarinet section! SHOUT OUT The shoutout this week goes to Coach Rodgers and the members of our football team that came to the region contest to watch the band perform this past Saturday. Thank you for taking time out of your weekend to support your fellow Roughnecks, and congrats on the big win Friday night! Thanks to all who came out to support the band this weekend. Stay tuned for details about the UIL Area A Marching Contest! It was a great week for the Roughneck Band! We had a highly productive Tuesday Night rehearsal/clinic with THE Mr. Glaze, and the band once again did a fantastic job of showing up to rehearsals ready to work! It was a cold and wet night in Floydada on Friday, but these students still put on a quality show for our crowd. Our Rookie of the Week is Serenity Mulloy, and 8th grade cornet player who is always working hard and has seen her confidence grow throughout the season so far! The Section of the Week is the baritone section -- a group of young people who are really making great strides as marchers and players. And our Pumpjack Award this week goes to Devina Lopez, a senior percussionist who can be any type of leader you need her to be...quiet, loud, a leader by example...you name it.
Congratulations to Serenity, Devina, and the baritone section! On Saturday, the band took the show to competition for the first time this season as we traveled to Lowrey Field in Lubbock for the Westerner Marching Festival. These students had an outstanding performance! The Westerner Festival showcased 40 bands in classifications 1A through 5A. Out of all classifications, our Roughneck Band came out ranked 6th overall! Our percussion section was awarded Best in 2A (2nd overall), and our Color Guard was ranked 4th overall. We're looking forward to one more week of attention to detail, and then we do this "for real" as we enter into our version of the playoffs....beginning with the UIL Region 16 Marching Contest! SHOUT OUT Special shoutout this week to Mike and Shanna Richardson, who have cooked for the band at away games this year. Nobody makes a better burger, and you wouldn't believe how quickly they can feed 3 buses full of students! This week, they had to cook in the rain in Floydada. We appreciate Mike and Shanna SO very much! Thanks to all who came out to support the band this weekend. Stay tuned to student emails for itinerary information for next week, and CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets to see the Roughneck Band at the UIL Region 16 Marching Contest! It's a great day to be a Sundown Roughneck! This past week was an open week for our varsity Roughneck football team. As they have begun preparations for District play against Floydada this coming week, the Roughneck Band began final preparations for our first competition of the season as we learned the final sets of "Legends Never Die"! When we travel to Floydada this week, we will perform to our visitor stands for the very first performance of the full show! This week's Tuesday Night rehearsal will feature our first clinician of the year, Mr. Mike Glaze...we're really looking forward to our band spending time with him!
Since there was no game this past week, we did not get to announce our weekly recognitions...so here they are! Our section of the week is our cornet section! These young ladies and gentlemen have found a new gear as we approach competition season, and they're making some great sounds Our "Pumpjack Award" winner is Nathan McAdams, who is a member of the tuba section. Nathan is a freshman, but don't let that fool you...if you want to see what good marching looks like, look no further! Nathan is a man of few words, but his actions speak loud and clear. Our Rookie of the Week is Isabel Marchan! Isabel is an 8th grade flute player and is rocking it on the field. She is always so focused, and it's becoming harder and harder to catch her making a mistake because she corrects them so quickly. She is a wonderful example of how these 8th graders are coming into their own! Congratulations to Nathan, Isabel, and the cornet section! SHOUT OUTS The shout out for this week goes to the Sundown ISD maintenance staff. You may have noticed that the band practice field (or "The Grid", as we sometimes call it) received a much needed upgrade this week....new paint! Rene Rivera, Paul Gattis, and Hunter Stanley put in a lot of hours to blow rocks and debris off of the field, measure for accuracy, and paint the straightest lines you ever did see! This helps our band more than they might know, and we appreciate these gentlemen so very much. GAME DAY INFO This week's game will be Friday, October 7th in Floydada with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. As always, information will be sent to each band student's school email account. Have a great week! For the final time this season, the Roughneck Band has marched our show without its final movement! We will put the final drill on the field this week, and the full production of "Legends Never Die" will be on the field in Floydada on October 7th!
As you heard announced after the halftime show on Friday, our Section of the Week was our flute section. This is a young section with tremendous leadership, playing a tough part and improving every day! Also announced was our "Pumpjack Award" winner, Vanessa Melendez, who is a member of our Color Guard. As a sophomore, Vanessa has the passion and leadership presence of a junior or senior, and she does a wonderful job of leading in a caring and positive way. Our Rookie of the Week is A'Bree Olivas! A'Bree is an 8th grade clarinet player, and you can find her as the "point" of the form in our first big hit of the show, which is quite the responsibility! She takes this challenge head on, as she does any other, and is a great example of just how much our 8th graders contribute to this Roughneck Band! Congratulations to Vanessa, A'Bree, and the flute section! SHOUT OUTS The shout out for this week goes to the fantastic band staff that I get to work with every day. Ashley Blount brings a unique passion and energy to our office and our rehearsals, as well as a fresh approach and new ideas for the changing art of marching band. Mack Bibb's unmatched wisdom and wit keep our feet on the ground, and we all hope to be as good of a teacher as he is some day. Tricia Nevarez is, in my opinion, the very best color guard instructor around! Tristan Nock and John Rogers have our battery and pit percussion playing at a high level with about a month still to go before contest. These are some of my favorite people in the world, and the Roughneck Band is what it is because of the efforts of these individuals. They love kids and they love what we do! GAME DAY INFO This week is an open week for football, so there will be no performance for the band this week! Our next game will be Friday, October 7th in Floydada. As always, information will be sent to each band student's school email account. Have a great week! What a week! Congratulations to all of our Homecoming Court, and to Natalie and Luke, our queen and king! As always, Homecoming week was very busy with an event just about every night, and it was all done the Roughneck Way! The football team fought hard to the very end, the cheerleaders kept the crowd in the game, the stands were PACKED, and the Roughneck Band provided a solid Week 4 performance for the Homecoming crowd! The band looked great in full uniform the first time this year as we were able to premiere our fantastic vocalists, Lizzie and Watson, as well as Part 3 of our "Legends Never Die" show.
As you heard announced after the halftime show on Friday, our Section of the Week was our saxophone section! These students are dependable week after week, always prepared and ready for the next thing. Also announced was our "Pumpjack Award" winner, Daisy, who is a senior and Section Leader for the trombone section! You will always find Daisy going above and beyond to take care of those around her. The Rookie of the Week was Addison Bridges! Addison is is an 8th grade clarinet player and has shown huge improvement since our summer rehearsals as a player and as a marcher. Congratulations to Daisy, Addison, and the saxophone section! SHOUT OUTS The shout out for this week goes to the Sundown ISD administration and School Board. The students and staff of Sundown ISD are blessed to have unwavering support from these folks. From financial support to just a simple "good job" pat on the back and everything in between, these individuals support our students and staff with all of their hearts, and we are so very thankful. GAME DAY INFO This week's game will take our show on the road to Roosevelt High School! Kickoff is at 7:00 pm on Friday. Other information will be sent to each band student's school email account. Have a great week! It was a very productive week for the Roughneck Band as we got Part 2 of the marching show completely on the field, which is about half of the show! As you heard announced after the halftime show on Friday, our Section of the Week was our horn section...you certainly don't have to try very hard to hear them! They are a prime example of the energy and effort that it takes to perform at a high level. Also announced was our "Pumpjack Award" winner, Ashlyn Lara, who is a senior member of that very horn section! You don't see this girl make many mistakes more than once...Ashlyn is always striving to be the very best she can be so that she can help others, which makes her a leader anyone would want on their team. And one more...our Rookie of the Week is Kassady Rodgers! Kassady is new to the Roughneck Band program and new to Sundown, but you wouldn't know it...she is a super hard worker, always wears a smile, and we already can't imagine the band without her!
Congratulations to Ashlyn, Kassady, and the horn section! SHOUT OUTS The shout out for this week goes to our band parents. It takes a village, and ours is the absolute best! As we enter into the craziness we like to call "Homecoming Week", we want to say a special "THANK YOU" to our band parents for doing what you do...shuffling these students to various events (even more this week!), being their biggest fans in the stands, and for allowing us the blessing of teaching these students every day. GAME DAY INFO This week is Homecoming against the Wink Wildcats! Kickoff is at 7:30 pm on Friday. Other information will be sent to each band student's school email account. Have a fantastic week! Well, the weather kept us inside for most of the week, but that did not stop the Roughneck Band from working hard and improving! We are thankful for the much needed rain and the opportunity to focus on the quality of our music. We are looking forward to what will be on the field for this coming Friday!
SHOUT OUTS This week's shoutouts will include those that are normally announced at halftime: Our Section of the Week is the battery percussion! They are doing a fantastic job of providing a steady pulse on the field day in and day out. They are dependable, steady, and the "heartbeat" of the band! The Rookie of the Week is Brooklyn Keesler! Brooklyn's first year in the Roughneck Band is off to a great start. She is quickly becoming a strong marcher and always has a positive attitude! This week's Pumpjack Award goes to Sal Posadas. Sal has worked incredibly hard on his marching this year and was moved to a new spot on Thursday. We intended to give him until next week to learn the new spot, but he came and spent time after school on Thursday and then felt confident enough to perform after Friday morning's rehearsal. Great job, Sal! Special shout out this week to our Section Leaders. In a week when music had to be the focus, they were amazing about helping their sections mark music and play correct notes and rhythms. These leaders are helping to create that "Sundown Sound"! We continue to pray for the family and friends of Yahir Cancino and our friends in the Dalhart community. We don't get to do Thursday night football very often, but what a great night it was! The band and cheerleaders led the energy from the stands, and the football team found the grit to punch one in the win column! At halftime, the Roughneck Band presented the entire first movement of "Legends Never Die", which was a huge goal to be met for the first game. Every day is a great day to be a Roughneck, and Thursday night was no exception!
As you may have heard over the PA after the halftime show, our Section of the Week was our Pit section...they are doing a fantastic job with some difficult music, many times being featured with no winds playing at all! Also announced was our "Pumpjack Award" winner, Danielle MacDonald. This is something new we've started this year. The award goes to a student who stands out as a worker who just doesn't stop. Danielle spends every minute of a rehearsal engaged in improvement of herself and others, constantly helping and encouraging those around her. Congratulations to our Pit and to Danielle! SHOUT OUTS Our Drum Majors this year have big shoes to fill, and they are getting the job done! What the crowd sees at games is a small portion of what a Drum Major does...and it's quite the responsibility to stand up in front of all of those people and lead the band through a halftime show! These young ladies are gaining confidence in their conducting, and their leadership in rehearsals is the backbone of our success thus far. Shea, Autum, and Daniella...thank you for all that you do! This week's Rookie of the Week is Ryan Pope! Ryan works hard and makes improvement every day as he navigates the challenges of being new to marching band. Keep it up, Ryan! GAME DAY INFO This week is a home game against the Dalhart Wolves! Kickoff is at 7:30 pm. Other information has been sent to each band student's school email account. Here's to another great week! |