Troy University’s John M. Long School of Music hosted the 24th annual Southeastern United States (SEUS) Middle School Honor Band and Clinic on November 14 and 15. Over 250 students from 45 schools in Alabama, Florida and Georgia participated in this year’s event, along with their band directors and parents, who also visited the campus.
According to Dr. Mark Walker, Director of Bands, the clinic enables students to learn and grow as musicians.
“Clinics like this challenge their musical abilities and often introduce new concepts and skills and reinforce existing ones,” Walker said. “The participating students then take these new and reinforced skills back to their home bands, which they then use to improve their bands. It is a recruiting opportunity for the students and Troy University, for even though they are middle school age, it is never too early to introduce students to Troy University.”
Samuel Toole, band director for Roulhac Middle School in Chipley, Florida, says that he and his students make a big deal out of SEUS.
“It’s always a treat for me and my students,” he said. “My philosophy is that a rising tide lifts all boats. So, being able to bring a handful of kids to an event like this, where they’ll get to play music here that they don’t normally get to play at home and then bring that experience back with that little bit of extra knowledge, can help raise up the whole band program.”
At the end of SEUS, students performed in a concert at Claudia Crosby Theater, followed by a performance from the Troy University Symphony Band.
“The musicians rehearsed a variety of band pieces including marches, lyrical slow works, and exciting, dramatic compositions that featured different sections and challenged their abilities,” Dr. Walker said. “They performed each piece very well in concert, after only about 8 hours of rehearsal time.”
