The Montezuma‑Cortez Middle School bands earned top honors with superior ratings at the NMMEA Music Performance Assessment in Farmington, marking the first time the program has achieved the distinction in consecutive years.
Both the seventh and eighth grade bands earned superior ratings, the highest possible, in all three on‑stage performance categories judged by a three‑member panel. In the NMMEA system, a superior rating corresponds to an “A” grade, followed by excellent, good, fair and poor.
The seventh graders performed “Manchester March” by John Edmondson, “Cathedral” by Lloyd Conley and “Theme and Variations” by Timothy Broege. They received superior ratings for their stage performance and an excellent rating in sight-reading.
The eighth graders performed “Activity March” by Harold Bennett, arranged by Larry Clark, “Canticle of the Sun” by Clark and “Sea Song Fantasy,” arranged by Ann McGinty. The group earned superior ratings across all stage categories as well as in sight‑reading.
“We got a piece of music nobody had ever seen before, including me, and we had a few minutes to go through things,” band teacher Andrew Campo said. “Then we play it from beginning to end without ever practicing it. It really tests our literacy, which is a big deal to me.”
In the nine weeks leading up to the assessment at San Juan College’s Performing Arts Center, the CMS bands worked through intensive preparation to rehearse their selections and strengthen sight‑reading skills. About 140 students participated in the program this year, with roughly 70 in each grade‑level band, which Campo said is the largest turnout the school has seen.
Students were jubilant when they learned how well they had performed. Campo said many jumped and cheered after hearing their ratings, celebrating the payoff of weeks of practice and focus.
“We always talk about not being able to control the judges score, but we need to go and play the very best we know how to play,” Campo said. I think everybody felt like we happened to play on stage the best we could play, so it was a very good feeling … when they realized they got high scores.”
Campo shared that Justin Hubbard, Director of Bands at Fort Lewis College and one of the judges, spoke with Campo afterward, expressing strong praise for the bands and offering to collaborate with the middle school program in the future.
He also received encouraging feedback from Justin Hubbard, director of bands at Fort Lewis College and one of the assessment judges. Campo said Hubbard praised the maturity and technique of both ensembles and offered to work with the middle school bands in the future, a gesture Campo described as a meaningful compliment.
Twenty-two bands participated.
The district’s next major music event is the All District Band Night concert, scheduled for Tuesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. in the Montezuma‑Cortez High School main gym. The program will feature groups from sixth through 12th performing individual works as well as a mass‑ensemble piece selected nearly 60 years ago by Ralph Vivek.
The Montezuma‑Cortez Middle School spring band concert is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12 at 7 p.m. in the middle school main gym.
