After months of grueling practice and split and bleeding lips, the band?s hard work has paid off. The Fresno Christian Concert Band was awarded a unanimous superior?a feat that has never before been accomplished–at the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) festival.

?It was really cool to finally place with really high marks,? Melissa Jimenez, ?05, said. ?Our jazz band didn?t do so well at the last competition, so our success at this festival made up for it.?

The band arrived at school at 6:45 A.M. and stood shivering in their formal attire as they boarded the bus bound for Central High. After warming up for 15 minutes the band felt confident as they took their places on the stage.

That confidence, however, seemed to falter during the first piece played, ?Variations on a Korean Folksong?. Luckily, the timid playing soon became much more aggressive as the concert progressed and the band finished their pieces with more strength. The last piece, ?The Gum-Suckers March?, finished the concert with loud climax, leaving the judges shouting their praise.

Ray Johnson, a previous Fresno Christian band director, was one of the participating judges. He had come to visit the band last week to listen to the songs, and left saying that he felt confident the band would place well.

?It?s always nice to get the opinions of other objective listeners to tell us what we?re doing,? McEntee said. ?It is extremely helpful to have unbiased listener tell us what we can improve, or enforce something we already know.?

With bolstered spirits, the band is ready to face the upcoming spring concert on May 17.

?We were playing songs we thought we?d never be able to play,? Samantha Grizz, ?07, said. ?Not only did we pull it off, we got outstanding scores! It makes next year look promising.?

The concert and jazz bands will be playing at the annual spring concert at Riverpark Bible Church on Tuesday, May 17.

For more information, contact the high school office at 297-9464, ext. 4 or McEntee at [email protected].