The Mighty Warrior Band completed a successful week of camp last week. They finished the week off with a strong parent performance on Friday. The students had many obstacles to overcome this week from a new marching style,  to the hot weather, the beginning of VHSL fall sports,  a marching drum line, and a new show to learn. The students just keep their head down and worked all week. They completed the first two tunes with drill and music. They also learned and clean the third tune musically. Mr. Green said "This is the best any of his groups have ever sounded and marched coming out of camp. These students worked extremely hard. I believe the sky is the limit for these students." This is great news to hear since the band graduated 17 seniors last year and earned State Honor Band status. Check out the Mighty Warrior Band at their first performance of the season on August 25th at Chilhowie High School when the Warriors face off against Marion!

Chilhowie High School Mighty Warrior Band received an invitation to march in the Saint Patrick's Day parade in Atlanta, Georgia and has proudly accepted that invitation. The Warrior Band was given an invitation largely due to the earning of Honor Band Status. The parade will take place on March 17, 2018. 

​History of the Parade:
Since the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1858, the City of Atlanta has supported the Hibernian Benevolent Society St. Patrick’s Day Parade in memory of the heroic efforts of Father Thomas O’Reilly and of the Hibernian Rifles.  Oakland Cemetery contains a plot dedicated to the Hibernian Rifles in gratitude for their service to the city. HBSA members can still be buried there today.

The Atlanta Constitution, in 1893, told of an eventful St. Patrick’s Day parade with a full-page account of the festivities.  The article read as follows: “Three hundred Irishmen from the Hibernian Benevolent Society along with the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and the Catholic Knights of Atlanta, marching to the music of the Fourth Artillery band filed into the Catholic Church for Mass, at which Father Clifford preached on the life and work of St. Patrick. Upon the conclusion of Mass, the societies paraded to the Opera House on Marietta Street to celebrate.”
For the next century, the Parade continued to be a small, but dependable annual Atlanta tradition, skipping only the years during the First and Second World Wars.

In 1999 Monsignor E.J. Dillon approached then-HBSA President and Parade Chairman Matt Naughton and suggested that a larger parade with more participation might be had if a “coalition” of Irish groups could be formed to plan and implement the parade. This was the beginning of the “Parade Committee”.

Since that time, the parade has grown under the leadership of Atlanta St. Patrick’s Parade, Inc. (“The Parade Committee”).  To this day, members of the Hibernian Benevolent Society, the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), Clan Na NGael, Fire Emerald Society of Metro Atlanta (FESMA), the Irish Information Center and the Metro Atlanta Police Emerald Society (MAPES) are all actively involved in the Parade as participants, sponsors and often as members of the Parade Committee.

Be on the lookout for fundraisers as the students work to raise money for the trip! 

The Chilhowie High School Mighty Warrior Band enjoyed their time in beautiful, sunny Florida. The band competed in a band festival in Universal Studios and finished first in their class. The band enjoyed two days in both parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and they also enjoyed Harry Potter World. The band attended a Blue Man Group Concert and ate at the world's largest Hard Rock Cafe. The band concluded their trip at Daytona Beach. Mr. Green said " I believe all the students had a blast."

The Chilhowie High School Mighty Warrior Band put an exclamation point to a successful 2016-2017 school year by earning state honor band status. State Honor Band Status is the highest honor Virginia Band Orchestra Association gives to a band program. In order to earn the status of a state honor band, bands must complete the daunting task of earning superior ratings at state marching assessment and concert assessment. The Warrior earned straight one's at state marching assessment at Richlands High School at the end of the marching band season. On Thursday, March 16th, the Warrior Band completed its goal by earning superior ratings at concert assessment which earned them state honor band status.

The Chilhowie High School Band has only earned this status 5 times previously in school history. The last time the band earned the status was in 2003-2004 under legendary director Glen Weller. During Mr. Weller's time, the band was able to earn the status 5 times total. 

Current Band Director, Mr. Green said "This is a special accomplishment for the community, the school, and the students. The students have worked extremely hard and all their hard work paid off. The last time this was accomplished majority of the students were two or three years old and were still in diapers. Heck, I was still in high school. I'm extremely proud of my students. It is an honor to get to teach these students everyday."

Congratulations, Chilhowie High School Mighty Warrior Band Students!

All-State Band Auditions took place at James Madison University on February 25, 2017. Chilhowie High School had three students qualify to audition at the All-State level. Kelly Hutton, Emily Blevins, and Rainni Crutchfield were the students who represented Chilhowie High School. In order to qualify to audition at All-State students had to make a top chair at All-District Auditions. Emily Blevins made 2nd Chair Clarinet, Kelly Hutton made 3rd Chair Clarinet, and Rainni Crutchfield made 1st Chair Bass Clarinet, which qualified them to audition at All-State.

Getting to audition is an honor in it self because these students had to beat some of the most outstanding musicians in Southwest Virginia to qualify. All three students worked hard and performed well at the All-State level. Rainni Crutchfield was the closest to making the All-State Band and was just one chair from making the ensemble. She improved 17 chairs from the previous year. Congratulation ladies on an outstanding accomplishment! Keep up the hard work!

The All-District Band event took place on February 4th, 2017 at the Higher Ed Center in Abingdon, Virginia. The event brought together the best high school musician in Southwest Virginia. This was a two-day event in which students worked various pieces of music and performed a concert on Saturday evening.

This year, the Chilhowie High School Mighty Warrior Band more than doubled the number of students who made All-District from the previous year. The Chilhowie Band program had students represented in all four All-District ensembles. In order to participate in the All-District Band event, the student had to audition at John S. Battle High School in December. The students were asked to perform two scales, chromatic scale, and had to sight read. Students are then ranked and only the very best get into the event. 

The following CHS students made the All-District Bands this year: Tabatha Gentry, Julianna Blevins, Emily Blevins, Kelly Hutton, Emma Morris, Rainni Crutchfield, Kelly Wyatt, Amber Blevins, Hannah Wilkerson, Brandi May, Kaitlin Taylor, Emily Frye, Avery Smith, and Tim Hall. Congratulations!

Over the past couple of weeks, Chilhowie High School bands students have been participating in two honor band events. The two honor bands Chilhowie High School band students participated in were Virginia Tech Honor Band and ETSU Honor Band. Both events combine some of the most outstanding high school musicians in Virginia and Tennessee. 

Students are selected based off of musical proficiency and academic standing. The students go to that college campus and audition in front of music professors at the University for placement within an ensemble. Once students find out their placement, they then work several days on music and put on a concert. Chilhowie High School had students represented in all honor band ensembles at Virginia Tech and ETSU.  The students performed outstanding concerts in both honor band events.

The students that participated in Virginia Tech Honor Bands were Kelly Hutton, Amber Blevins, Emily Blevins, Rainni Crutchfield, Tim Hall, and Alec Roberts. The students that participated in ETSU Honor Bands were Amber Blevins, Emily Blevins, Kelly Hutton, and Tim Hall! Congratulations and outstanding job! 

​On Saturday afternoon, January 14, 2017, top band students from all Smyth County Middle and High Schools joined to perform a free concert for parents and community members.  Band directors,  J.J. Green with Chilhowie Middle/High, Brandon Guffey with Marion Middle/Senior High, and Matthew Warnock with Northwood Middle/High, collaborated to build an enriching experience for middle and high schools band students as well as provide the opportunity for students to practice instrumental music with distinguished music educators from around the region. Students began rehearsing for the community concert on Friday, January 13, 2017 and continued with rehearsals Saturday morning.  

The Middle school bands in 7th and 8th grades worked with Mr. Hunter Mullins, the current band director at John Sevier Middle School in Kingsport, Tennessee.  He is also an active performer as a trombonist in the Johnson City Orchestra as well as other regional ensembles.  The High school band worked with Mr. Uley Daniels.  Mr. Daniels is currently the assistant band director at E.B. Stanley Middle School in Abingdon, Virginia.  With numerous prestigious recognitions involving the Cavalier band during his thirty years at Holston High School in Damascus, Virginia, he was also recognized as the Virginia Music Educator of the year in 2015.  As guests to Smyth County, both clinicians spoke highly of the young musicians of Smyth County and were very complimentary of the work being accomplished in the band programs in all of the schools.  

These students spend a lot of their personal time practicing and in private lessons to both better themselves as musicians and to contribute to the overall sound of their respective bands.  Once reaching the high school level, these students give up time during their summers, after school, and weekends either rehearsing or performing as they exhibit their appreciation of music through hard work and dedication.

Avery Smith is a senior band member. Avery is not only a talented trombone player but also an outstanding tenor in choir. Apparently, he has an ability to write plays as well. He just won the playwrighting festival at the Barter. Check out this outstanding article the Bristol Herald Courier wrote about Avery.

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