Mason Invitational – Grand Champions. Pictured from left to right: Joey Young (junior), Nora Lockhart (senior), and Eli Daniels (sophomore). Photo courtesy Laurie Smith, WC Band Boosters PR Officer.
MSBA Championships – 3rd place finish. Pictured from left to right: Pippie Oldendick (senior), Eli Daniels (sophomore), Emily Evans (senior), Nora Lockhart (senior), Olivia Wroblewski (senior), and Joey Young (junior). Photo courtesy Laurie Smith, WC Band Boosters PR Officer.
The West Clermont High School Marching Band closed the 2022 competition season by placing third in the Mid-States Band Association Class 5A Championships held at William Mason High School on Saturday, November 5. The color guard’s performance that evening earned the highest score in program history, and percussion finished in second place overall.
The band scored over 80 three different times this year. They were one of twenty-three bands from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, competing in the prestigious Bands of America Regional Championship in Obetz, Ohio, on September 17. The top twelve of those competing bands advanced to Finals. The Wolves miss qualifying by only 0.65 points in their first-ever appearance in a BOA competition.
They placed second in Class 5A at the Simon Kenton Marching Classic on October 1, earning the title of Reserve Grand Champion. Two weeks later, they won top honors at the Mason Marching Band Invitational. In addition to earning the title of Grand Champion, the Wolves finished first in Class 5A and won Best Visual, Best Music, and Best General Effect in both Class 5A and Combined Class 4A and 5A, for the performance of their show “Icy Clearly Now.”
The band staff is composed of Director Brian Fischer, Assistant Director of Percussion Ryan Reed, Assistant Director of Visual Zach Poller, and Assistant Director of Color Guard Donovan Casey.
The marching band includes 130 musicians and color guard members and is led by drum majors senior Nora Lockhart, junior Joey Young, and sophomore Eli Daniels. Over the course of the season, these students spent more than 250 hours memorizing music, mastering drill, and refining the show.
Their 2022 field show “Icy Clearly Now” included elements related to ice, the ocean, and vision. This performance took the audience through a tumultuous ocean with “Storm” from Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes and then into the wintery wonderland of Antonio Vivaldi’s “Winter” from The Four Seasons. This movement featured a fantastic front ensemble and a talented flute trio. During this visit to the frozen north, spectators encountered the majestic “Northern Lights” by Ola Gjeilo. The journey ended with “The Frozen Cathedral” by John Mackey. Those who listened carefully may have recognized snippets from the 1993 version of “I Can See Clearly Now” by Jimmy Cliff, which was recorded for the movie Cool Runnings.
Auditions will be held later this month for Winter Guard and the Winter Percussion Ensemble. Students in the Symphonic 1 Band look forward to being one of four featured ensembles invited to perform during the Ohio Music Education Association Professional Development Conference to be held in Columbus in February.
West Clermont High School is located at 4101 Bach Buxton Road in Batavia and is part of the West Clermont Local School District. To contact the band for performances, make a donation, or become a sponsor, please contact [email protected].