The Madison Middle School Band has a long tradition of excellence. Since 1993 the Band Program has earned Distinguished Ratings in Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee and Ohio Large Group Festivals. The students participate not only in their own concerts, but concerts with the EKU Middle School Honors Band, Morehead State’s Tri-State Honors Band, our Districts Middle School Honors band, The All- County Middle School Band, KMEA Large Group Festival, and KMEA Solo and Ensemble Festival. It is my goal as a teacher to continue the excellence in this program and provide your student with every musical opportunity that he or she may come across.
Recent accomplishments and awards:
6th, 7th, 8th grade bands have earned distinguished ratings the past 13 years at our district band festival
2nd place middle school band at Cedar Point Music in the parks festival 2007
2nd place middle school band at Kings Island Music in the parks festival 2008
1st place middle school band at the Kings Island Music in the parks festival 2009
2nd place middle school band at the Dollywood Music in the parks festival 2010
Performance at the 2011 UK Middle School Band Invitational
1st place middle school band at the Cedar Point Music in the Parks festival 2011
Invited performance at the 2013 Kentucky Music Educators Conference in Louisville, KY
2nd Place Band at the 2015 Holiday World Music Festival.
1st Place Band at the 2016 Cedar Point Music in the Parks Festival
1st Place Band at the 2018 Dollywood Music in the Parks Festival
Invited performance at the 2019 Kentucky Music Educators Conference in Louisville, KY
About the School:
In 1890 the Richmond City School acquired the Madison Academy property, after several years of renovation it became known as Caldwell High School.
On July 5, 1919, the Richmond city Board of Education leased the property of the Madison Female Institute for ninety-nine years. The Female Institute had been a famous southern finishing school for girls. Following the Civil War era Battle of Richmond, the building was used for hospital wards, where both Union and Confederate soldiers were cared for by teachers and students.
When Caldwell was destroyed by fire in 1921, an $80,000 bond was voted to erect a new building on the Madison Institute property. In 1928, the Madison High School building was completed. From 1936-1961, the school formed a unique relationship with then Eastern Kentucky State College and its laboratory school, Model. The schools were accredited jointly by the Southern Association of Secondary Schools as Madison-Model High School. The two divisions retained their respective organizations, but combined such activities as commencement, athletics, and music until the schools were separated after the 1960-61 school year.
Through the 1955-1956 school year, Madison High was a segregated school. Richmond's African-American students attended Richmond High School (located on Irvine Street). In the fall of 1956, Richmond High was integrated into Madison as the Richmond City Board of Education carried out the Supreme Court's Brown decision. The school was then consolidated with the county school system in 1989.
The school nickname (adopted in 1925) was the 'Royal Purples'. Its physical plant is now the site of Madison Middle School, which opened in the fall of 1992 (after extensive renovation) and is one of five middle schools (grades 6–8) in the Madison County school system housing approx. 390 students. Thus becoming the present day ‘Panthers’