The search for next year's leadership team is officially over, having concluded with yesterday's drum major auditions! The drum major for the 2019 marching season is Nathan Gentry! Assistant drum major is Kelly Wyatt, and backfield drum major is Graci Summey!

Just under the drum majors in the leadership pyramid are the captains. The woodwind captain is Kelly Wyatt, the brass captain is Jackson Powers, and the percussion captain is Branden Williams!

Next comes the section leaders. The flute section leader is Heidi Adams, with Adriana Clukey and Alyssa Mash as the assistants. The clarinet section leader is Becca Martin, and the assistant is Kaitlin Hopkins. The low reeds captain is Wen Boswell-Bailey. Saxophone section leader is Courtney Kogod. The French horn section leader is Kalix Singleton. The trumpet section leader is Matthew Cook, the marching leader is Nathan Ferley, and the assistant is Ashlynn Booth. The low brass section leader is Paige Garrett with Logan Chandler as assistant, and finally, the percussion section leader for snare is Logan Price and the leader on bass is Colton Williams.

Finally, the Shadow Program leaders, who will be over the middle schoolers joining the marching band, are Elizabeth Gentry, Harper Adams, Cody Brogan, and Graci Summey!

Mr. Green is so incredibly proud of all of the students who tried out for section leader and drum major! They have all improved so much over this year, and Mr. Green is excited to see how far they will take the band this year! The band has so much potential this year, it will be up to the section leaders to make the most of the season! #Allin

As we near the end of the school year, preparations for the band's marching season are already underway! Students' leadership and drum major application forms are due tomorrow and drum major and drum line practices have begun!

Drum Major practice dates are: Tuesday, April 16th; Tuesday, April 23rd; Thursday, April 25th; and Tuesday, April 30th. All practices will last from 3:45 to 5:30 pm.

Drum Major Try-Outs will be on Tuesday, May 7th, 2019.

Drum line practice dates are: Tuesday, April 16th; Thursday, April 25th, Thursday, May 2nd; and Tuesday, May 7th. All practices will be from 3:45 to 5:30 pm.

Drum line try-outs will be on Thursday, May 9th, 2019.

Attire for all try-outs is a band shirt and khakis!

​The band performed at Virginia High School at 4:00 before a panel of four judges. After playing their prepared pieces, the band went on to sight reading, where they were given seven minutes to look at a piece before playing it for a judge. Scores were posted soon after, showing that the band had gotten a perfect score of straight 1's! The band is now officially an Honor Band for the second year since Mr. Green has been here, and the seventh time in school history!

Mr. Green is so very proud of the students accomplishments! The students have worked so very hard this year and all of their hard work has paid off. The students have wanted to be the best they could be all season. This year as a whole will go down as one of the best years Chilhowie High School has ever had!

This weekend was the All District Band event at the Higher Ed Center in Abingdon. All District is made up of four bands, Senior Symphonic, Senior Concert, Junior Symphonic, and Junior Concert. The Senior groups are composed of high school students from 9th to 12th grade. The Junior groups are made up of students between 7th and 9th grade. In both Senior and Junior, the Symphonic group contains all of the top players who auditioned. Students who do not make either group are labelled as "Alternates" to fill in if someone who made the band cannot come. This year, twenty-seven Chilhowie students made it, and twenty-four attended. The results at the end of auditions in December were:

Senior Symphonic:

9th Chair Flute - Julianna Blevins

4th Chair Clarinet - Emily Blevins

14th Chair Clarinet - Becca Martin

17th Chair Clarinet - Ryleigh Clukey

2 Chair Bass Clarinet - Rainni Crutchfield

7th Chair Trumpet - Ashlynn Booth

2nd Chair Euphonium - Alec Roberts

4th Chair Euphonium - Jackson Powers

6th Chair Tuba - Madison Garrett

Senior Concert:

3rd Chair Flute - Graci Summey

9th Chair Flute - Heidi Adams

2nd Alt. Flute - Adriana Clukey

3rd Chair Clarinet - Kaitlyn Hopkins

2nd Chair Bass Clarinet - Wen Boswell-Bailey

1st Chair Tenor Sax - Kelly Wyatt

2nd Chair Trumpet - Matthew Cook

6th Chair Trumpet - Meghan Collins

7th Chair Trumpet - Cody Brogan

2nd Chair Horn - Emily Frye

6th Chair Horn - Kalix Singleton

7th Chair Horn - Hannah Greer

1st Alt. Horn - Sam Fox

6th Chair Trombone - Kat McAllister

3rd Chair Euphonium - Harper Adams

Junior Concert:

18th Chair Clarinet - Emma Roland

3rd Chair Alto Sax - Brennan Anders

11th Chair Trumpet - Kellie Bentley

2nd Chair Trombone - Jacob Morrison

6th Chair Tuba - Grace Rose

Three students also qualified for All State auditions: Emily Blevins, Rainni Crutchfield, and Alec Roberts!

Friday saw everyone start the process of preparing for Saturday's concert; clinicians were introduced, pieces were handed out, and practice started. Each group worked extremely hard to work up all of the music. At the end of the day, Mr. Green and all of the Chilhowie students rode up to Bristol to eat at O'Charley's before heading to the Pinnacle and Just Jump. After the first long day of rehearsal and fun activities, everyone was tired but still ready to work to get everything performance ready! The concert opened with Junior Concert, followed by Junior Symphonic, then Senior Concert, and closed with Senior Symphonic.

​Mr. Green is so proud of how well all of the students did at auditions this year, and is excited to see how much more they will improve over the next year!

This past weekend, six Chilhowie High students were selected to attend the Virginia Tech Honor Band event. Emily Blevins, Ryleigh Clukey, Rainni Crutchfield, Alec Roberts, Jackson Powers, and Kat McAllister all rode up to audition for chair placement on Friday morning. There were four bands there to be placed in: Gold, the top group, and Silver, Maroon, and Orange, which were all equal. Emily and Rainni made Gold Band, and made sixth chair clarinet and first chair bass clarinet, respectively. Alec and Kat both made Silver band, at first chair euphonium and second chair trombone. In the Maroon band, Ryleigh made seventh chair clarinet and Jackson made fourth chair euphonium. The students represented Chilhowie High School so very well!

With school now underway, the Chilhowie band will again be back to a regular practice schedule to prepare for the upcoming season. After going a few days without any scheduled practices over the last few days of summer, the band successfully ran the first two tunes of the show by the end of class Thursday afternoon. Everyone is excited for the new school year and marching season!

Monday practices will start August 13 and run throughout the school year from 6pm to 9pm. Mr. Green has one simple question for the band program this year, "How good do you want to be?". Mr. Green believes the sky is the limit for this group this year. We will just have to wait and see how good they will be.

The Chilhowie High School band recently ended their first two week long band camp with a successful performance of their first two tunes of the show for the parents. Having an extended time at camp brought both extra time to improve upon the show and new challenges for the students. Nonetheless, the time was well-spent, as the students worked hard every day in order to get two tunes on the field, marching and playing, and cleaned up the third tune musically. Of course, not every moment was spent hard at work; every day brought something new to laugh about and enjoy, whether it was an evening at the wavepool, boys in short shorts, or the infamous lip sync battle.

This year's show is titled Seven Deadly Sins, with each of the sins being represented individually through the different movements and by one of the color guard members. The music is harder than in years past, but makes up for it in its dark and intriguing sound, and the students in the band are all doing wonderfully with it. Come and see the Mighty Warrior Marching Band at their first performance, at the Marion game on August 24th!

The Chilhowie High School band has entered into "A Battle of The Bands" competition with Blood Assurance. The top three donating bands will receive a cash prize. Each donation of blood saves three lives. On Saturday June 23rd the band program will be hosting a blood drive from 11am-7pm at CHS. Come out, donate and be entered into a drawing for Titans football tickets. If you can't make it out that day, no problem! You can donate between June 1st-August 31st at any blood assurance center, simply just use the Code 162396. If you would like to sign up for a time in advance please visit: https://donor.bloodassurance.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/112936

Also, all individuals who donate blood will receive free admission to the outdoor movie "I Can Only Imagine" that evening on June 23rd at Chilhowie High School around dark (8pm). Tickets for the movie will be $5.00 for all individuals who do not wish to donate blood. The band program will be offering concessions starting at 7:30pm! Don't forget to bring your lawn chairs!

Come out and Support the band! Donate, save three lives, earn a chance to win Titans football tickets, and get a free ticket to "I Can Only Imagine."

In preparation of the 2018-2019 school year, the Mighty Warriors are gearing up for two of their biggest fundraisers for the year. On Friday, May 4, 2018, the Mighty Warrior’s will be hosting Band Bingo. Many businesses, in and around our region, have donated prizes. The event will take place at Chilhowie High School! Come out and win some awesome prizes while supporting these awesome students! More details will be posted about this event on the band Facebook page!

They will also be holding a Carwash Blitz on May 19th. Warrior band members will be set up in multiple locations. Check out the facebook page for the latest updates.

During the weekend of March 16-18, the Mighty Warrior Band traveled to Atlanta, Georgia. The Chilhowie High School Band was invited to march in the Atlanta St. Patrick's Day Parade. Warriors marched down historic Peachtree Street, entertaining spectators from afar who came to participate in many of the St. Patrick’s Day events held annually in Atlanta. While there, students had the opportunity to visit the World of Coke-a-Cola, Olympic Park, Six-Flags, and Atlanta Zoo.

The next Mighty Warrior Band performance will be April 29, 2018 where middle and high school bands will perform in their Spring Concert for the community. Free to the public! Concert theme is a night out at the movies!

These are two students who will be representing Chilhowie High School in Richmond at the All-Virginia Band. On Friday, February 23, 2018, two students from the Chilhowie High School Mighty Warrior Band traveled to James Madison University to audition for a spot in the All-State Honors Virginia Band. After auditions, and with an optimistic William Green, band director, both Rainni Crutchfield and Emily Blevins both earned a chair in the Virginia All-State Honors Band. The All-Virginia Band is one of the toughest state honor band groups to get into. Congratulations on your huge accomplishment.

Rainni and Emily will be heading to Richmond on April 4-6 to participate in the All-Virginia Band. Only 3 students in District 7 qualified for this event! Keep up the great work!

The kickoff to the 2018 Mighty Warrior Band concert season holds many honors for several members. Over the last month, the Chilhowie Middle and High School band students have been recognized individually for their hard work and dedication.

On Saturday, January 6, 2018, band students from both Chilhowie Middle and High School auditioned individually to earn a spot in the 2018 District 7, All-District band. Over 500 students from 38 schools auditioned. 24 students from Chilhowie Middle and High School will be participating. 3 of those students are eligible for All-State band. 64% of the students who auditioned from Chilhowie earned a chair in the 2018 All-District band.

On January 20, 2018, four of the Mighty Warrior band members earned chairs in the Virginia Tech Honor Band. The Virginia Tech honor band is made up of four ensembles. Isaiah Hutton., Rainni Crutchfield., Emily Blevins., and Alec Roberts. all earned a chair in the top three ensembles and represented Chilhowie High School among top musicians in the region.

On January 27, 2018, three students represented Chilhowie High School in the East Tennessee State University Honors Band. The ETSU Honor Band event consists of two bands. The top musicians for east Tennessee and southwest Virginia are represented in those ensembles. Emily Blevins, Ryleigh Clukey., and Kaitlin McAllister earned chairs in one of the ensembles.

Congratulations, students! Keep up the hard work!

On December 1st, 2017, all three high schools in Smyth County Public Schools combined to make one large band. By combining forces the band consisted of well over one hundred students. Mr. Green said, "It's a great opportunity for our students to work together and unify the county's music programs."

The band program says goodbye to 4 members on Senior Night. After graduating 17 students in last year's class, this year's class is much smaller. However, what these students lack in numbers they make up for in heart and dedication. The band program should have taken a step back after losing some many students, but they didn't. One of the big reasons is due to these four individuals. They gave 110 percent everyday to make the program the best it could be. We will miss you!

Kaitlyn Brook's future plans include attending college and becoming a special effects makeup artist.

Caitlin Sawyer's future plans include attending college to major in either art education or veterinary medicine, and to keep the Lord number one in her life.

Michael Rush's future plans include attending Virginia Highlands for two years before transferring to Virginia Tech to major in business and marketing in hopes of becoming a stock broker.

Isaiah Hutton's future plans include majoring in vocal performance at The Ohio State University.

​On behalf of the Chilhowie High School Band and Band Boosters, we want to thank you for your dedication and hard work throughout your middle school and high school career. May God bless your future endeavors!

As the 2017 Marching season for the Chilhowie High School Mighty Warrior Band has come to an end, preparations for the upcoming marching season has already began. Music, show, and equipment are always at the top of the list of things to consider for any band program. Director, Mr. William Green, and the band booster organization, meet frequently to discuss and decide effective uses of funds for the band program. As priorities are created, and numbers are crunched, budgeting becomes tighter with every need. This year, the Mighty Warrior Band is replacing the current marching drumline equipment which is dated by approximately 15 years.

In an effort to create bridges to businesses around the community, the 2018 drumline is seeking sponsorship. The sponsorship will provide percussion students with two snare drums, four bass drums, and a set of tenors. All drums will have carriers and cases. Businesses who invest in this sponsorship will get a substantial amount of advertisement in the football program, have their business logo on the drums and cases, become a title sponsor of the Apple Festival, have their logo on the equipment trailer, and be recognized on a stadium banner for a period of five years.

It is with great appreciation that the Mighty Warrior Drumline welcome their first sponsor, Direct Dodge of Wytheville, Virginia. Their investment in the students will afford opportunities for years to come.

Seven Chilhowie High School Band members participated in the Emory & Henry Marching Wasps Day. The students learn a portion of the field show and march with the Emory & Henry band. The students also get to see how a college band operates in the stands. This was a great learning experience for the students! Great Job, Lauryn Thompson, Alec Roberts, Emily Blevins, Jackson Powers, Ryleigh Clukey, Branden Williams, and Nathan Gentry!

On Saturday, October 21, 2017 the Chilhowie High School Mighty Warrior Band traveled to Richlands, Virginia to participate in their final competition of the 2017 marching season.

Each year, the Virginia Band and Orchestra Director's Association holds both a marching and concert assessment where bands perform for a rating to determine status of Virginia Honor's Band. If bands earn a Superior rating at both competitions, they earn that title for the year. This status must be earned each year to maintain this title.

Under the direction of Mr. William Green, the Mighty Warrior Band has consistently placed first in different categories throughout the season and earning superior rating. They were also named grand champions of the Lee five star classic band competition. On Saturday, they ended their season with a Superior rating. This puts them in line to earn Virginia Honor' s Band for their second year in a row if they maintain superior ratings in their concert assessment.

Please be in the look out for future concerts and events held by the Mighty Warrior Band. Your support is greatly appreciated.

The 65th Annual Chilhowie Apple Festival Marching Competition sponsored by Emory and Henry College was a huge success! A total of 24 high school bands competed ranging from as small as 12 member ensembles all the way up to 140 member ensembles. The bands came from all over the area, including bands from Virginia and Tennessee. Grayson County High School won the lower division championship. Sullivan High School Rebel Band won the Grand Championship!

On behalf of Chilhowie High School Band and Band Boosters, thank you for choosing to participate. We hope that everyone had an outstanding time. Thank you to all the band students who worked hard all day! Also, we want to thank all the band parents who worked hard and made the event go smoothly. Lastly, thank you to our outstanding title sponsor Emory and Henry College!

GRAND CHAMPIONS:

On Saturday, September 30, 2017, the Chilhowie High School Mighty Warrior Marching band traveled to Lee County to compete in the Five Star Classic Band Competition. Under the direction of Mr. William Green, the band earned the honor of Grand Champions. Accompanying this recognition was an over all division -1 rating, and placing first in the categories of general effects, marching, music, color guard, drum major, and percussion.

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."

Band Bingo Night is a fundraiser for the Chilhowie High School Marching Band. The event is for raising money for a Vibraphone and color guard equipment. There will be over $2,500 in prizes given out. $20 gets you a bingo card and a hotdog supper. $5 for each additional card. There are a variety of prizes, from tools to rocking chairs and some much! There are prizes for everyone in your family. Come out for a night of fun and support our band program! The event starts at 6pm-9pm at Chilhowie High School!

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!

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!

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.

On December 4, 2016, the Chilhowie Mighty Warrior Middle and High School Bands performed a Christmas concert for the community to celebrate the season. The students realized how much their hard work has paid off with many prestigious recognitions from around the region. Under the direction of Mr. J.J. Green, the Mighty Warrior Bands are looking forward to what is to come.

Thus far in the 2016-2017 school year, Chilhowie Mighty Warrior Bands have earned successful scores, while many individuals have earned recognition as well. The Mighty Marching Warriors ended the marching season with a Superior Rating (highest possible rating) at the State Marching Band Assessment, which puts them in line for earning the title of Virginia State Honor Band depending on their score at the State Concert Assessment in the Spring of 2017. In addition to this recognition, they also earned the title of Reserved Grand Champions and earning 1st place recognition in areas of Music, Marching, General Effects, Percussion, Drum Major, and Color Guard throughout the season.

Individual musicians in the band have also gained recognition as some students will be participating in the Virginia Tech Honor Band. These students are Emily Blevins, Amber Blevins, Kelly Hutton, Rainni Crutchfield, Alec Roberts, and Tim Hall.

On December 10, students competed individually to earn a spot in the All-District Bands where top musicians from around the district join to participate in an extensive music clinic concluding with a concert. Individuals who made All-District Band include Tabatha Gentry, Emily Blevins, Kelly Hutton, Rainni Crutchfield, Amber Blevins, Avery Smith, Isaiah Hutton, Tim Hall, Brandi May, Emily Frye, Kaitlyn Taylor, Emma Morris, Kelly Wyatt, and Hannah Wilkerson. Emily, Kelly, and Rainni scored high markings that will give them the opportunity to audition for All-State band in the upcoming semester.

The Chilhowie Mighty Warrior Bands would like to extend their appreciation to band families, community members, and businesses for their support. We would like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and best wishes for a happy new year!

The Mighty Warrior Marching Band, under the direction of J.J. Green, has earned recognition around the region with their show Wright to the Moon. Starting in July, students began working countless hours learning their music and sets. They started practicing independently, in section rehearsals after school, and on weekends to become better musicians.

Their first performance competition was Music in the Castle where they earned first place Color Guard and third place in Class 2A and were selected as the featured band on the Bristol Herald Courier Article about Music in the Castle. The students continued to work hard and improve their show over the past two weeks and their hard work paid off.

On Saturday, October 15, 2016, the Mighty Warrior Marching Band traveled to Letcher County to perform in the Letcher County Marching Invitational. The band came home with superior recognitions of just how their hard work and dedication has paid off. During the 2015 Marching season, the Mighty Warrior Marching band earned the title of Grand Champions at the Letcher County Marching Invitational. This year, out of fourteen bands, they returned as Reserved Grand Champions. In their class, they earned first place ranking in Drum Major, Percussion, Color Guard, Music, Marching, General Effects, and Class.

In this up and coming weekend, The Mighty Warrior Band will perform in two competitions. State Marching Assessment in Richlands, Virginia where the band hopes to earn a Superior Rating and a shot at being recognized as a Virginia Honor Band. The second competition of the day will be at the Tazewell Marching Invitational at Tazewell High School. Please come and show your support as these young musicians showcase their continued progress and appreciation for music. ​

Band Camp week equals hard at work. The Chilhowie Mighty Warrior Band did just that. They had an outstanding week. Mr. Green was pleased with the progress they made from day one to day five. The band students were able to improve their fundmentals, set drill for the first two songs, and put music to their new drill.

Mr. Green stated "I'm excited about what the season might hold for us!" He's talking about the competition season. Band camp week is the week in which the program sets most of its show and creates the foundation for the season ahead. The students have pushed hard and their hard work is really going to pay off.

The students not only had to overcome the heat and hard work, but also had to adjust to having a new director. Mr. Green said he was impressed in how they didn't skip a beat! He also contributed the success of the week to the Senior Band Members and Leadership. Without the strong leadership, the camp wouldn't have been nearly as successful. One band member stated "This is the most we have ever gotten done at camp!"

Check out the Warrior Band during the football season! We know you're going to be impressed!