Britney Campbell Chosen for Mid-State Band

For the fourth year in a row, Britney Campbell, a sophomore at DeKalb County High School, has been chosen to represent Middle Tennessee in its most prestigious musical ensemble, Tennessee’s Mid-State Band.
On Saturday, December 6th, Britney traveled to McGavok High School in Nashville to audition for Mid-State, which selects its musicians from the Middle Tennessee area based on the students’ level of musical ability. At the senior high level, any 10th – 12th grade student in Middle Tennessee can audition. During the audition process, each student is tested in three general areas of musicianship. Students are asked to perform a prepared piece of music, which is a song that has been rehearsed prior to the audition date. Students are also required to demonstrate their ability in playing scales, a basic pattern of musical notes. They are also tested on sight-reading skills, which displays the ability to perform a song without having to rehearse it.
Among the hundreds of clarinet players in grades ten through twelve who auditioned for this event, Britney placed nineteenth chair in the Bronze Band, Mid-State’s third ranking band.
In January 2009, all the students who made the Mid-State Bands will rehearse in Murfreesboro. Students will only have a couple days to prepare for a concert, which will be held at Middle Tennessee State University. DeKalb County High School’s Band Director, Jonathan Wright, says, “It is a wonderful experience for all involved students because they get an opportunity to play with the most talented and motivated students from all over the middle Tennessee area.”
In addition to playing clarinet in the high school band, Britney also plays percussion in the DCHS Winter Drumline, DC-1 Percussion. This ensemble is completely extracurricular, and meets twice a week in the band room to prepare for an indoor show to be performed in 2009.
Britney is the daughter of Mike Campbell and Kimberly Houk of Smithville. Britney’s dad says, “This was her first year to try out in the senior high division and I am very proud of her. She works really hard for this every year.”