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Andy Damery Scholarship 2019

Congratulations to this year's Andy Damery Scholarship recipient, Carina Blomberg

All State Band Results

Congratulations to Lynslie Higgs on here selection to the North Carolina All State Band.  Lynslie placed 6th chair flute out of the 24 student students who auditioned for 10 seats in the honor band.  Lynslie will participate in the All State Honor Band clinic and concert on May 3-5 at UNC-Greensboro. 

All District Band Results / USC Honor Band

Congratulations to the following musicians on their selection to the South Central District Honor Band.  These students competed against students from 10 other counties and will participate in the district honor band clinic on January 25th and 26th at Stuart Cramer High.  Alternates are also listed, but will only attend the clinic if another student from that section is unable to go.

9th / 10th Grade Band
Nicholas Catapano - 5th chair Trombone
*Jenny Taldo - 2nd alternate Clarinet

11th / 12th Grade Band
Lynslie Higgs - 1st chair Flute and All State Eligible
Liam Hollahan - 1st chair Tenor Sax and All State Eligible
Carina Blomberg - 8th chair Trombone
*Blake Monkus - 1st alternate French Horn

In addition to our district band clinic, both Lynslie Higgs and Liam Hollahan were accepted into the University of South Carolina Honor Band, on February 15-16

Congratulations to all these students on their achievements!

Spartan Sound Finishes Strong at Appalachian State University Festival of Bands

Spartan Sound Seniors accepting awards at Appalachian State University

On Saturday, October 27 our Spartan Sound marching band traveled over two hours to compete in the Appalachian State University Festival of Bands marching band competition.  Temperatures hovered in the low 40s all day, and there was a pretty steady drizzle of rain throughout the day as well.  None of this seemed to bother the students, who put on their strongest performance of the season. 


This was the final performance of "Playlist: Opera Classics", and brought numerous positive critique from the judges, resulting in the following awards:

2nd Place in Class 1A (out of 7 bands)
2nd Place overall in Class 1A and 2A (out of 11 bands)
1st Place Percussion in Class 1A
1st Place Drum Major in Class 1A

The marching band will continue to support our football team at games until the end of the season, and will also participate in both the Monroe and Indian Trail Christmas Parades.  We are also pleased to announce that the Spartan Sound has been selected to march in the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade in March 2019.
 

New Uniforms Debut!

Drum Major Branden Rucci (center) with hornline and percussion captains in their new uniforms at the SV v. Olynmpic football game on September 15, 2017.

September 15th, 2017 marked the debut of the Spartan Sound's new marching band uniform.  The new design incorporates a maroon Spartan head onto a black and maroon jacket.  The new plumes are a little larger as well and are also black and maroon.  This new design is a stark difference to the previous maroon and white design that had a gold "S" along the front.  Several years of planning and fundraising made this possible.  The new uniforms are also more lightweight and machine washable.

2017 Mellophone section in their new uniforms 

Inaugural Andy Damery Memorial Scholarship Selection

This year marked the presentation of the first, and what will become annual, Andy Damery Memorial Scholarship.  This $1000 scholarship is given to a Sun Valley High School Band senior to be used for higher learning educational expenses.

The scholarship is given in honor of Andy Damery, a 2003 Sun Valley graduate and percussionist with the band program who passed away unexpectedly in January 2016 due to an undetected heart defect.  This annual scholarship is presented to a senior band member who epitomizes Andy's passion for music and love of performing. Students were asked to submit an essay describing how music has played a role in their life and how they intend to keep music alive in their life after high school.

This year's Andy Damery Memorial Scholarship winner is Joe Bulla, a saxophone player. Joe plays the alto sax in the concert band and tenor sax in the jazz ensemble.  He will use the scholarship to assist with his studies in the fall at Appalachian State University.

Joe Bulla (center) receiving the Andy Damery Memorial Scholarship. Assisting with the presentation is Andy's wife, and former flute/piccolo player, Cassie Damery, Andy's brother Logan, and his parents Beth Damery and Rod Damery.