As an individual when your performance is at the highest level, it says a lot about your hard work, your ability, and your drive. When you perform as a group at the highest level it becomes much more. It is a combined effort, where all the drive of individual talent is focused on working together as one to produce top results.
It is easy to understand when applied to an athletic team. Any coach knows, all the talent in the world can not produce winners if there is no team effort.
The KISD Band program under the direction of Erol Oktay for the last 21 years is an example of how a group working together can achieve top-level results.
Four different top-form performances by four different bands …
Bands from both Kennedale High School (2) and bands representing Kennedale Junior High (2), received #1 ratings for their performances. This was not a summary rating of various scores but a straight “A” performance across the board from the multiple judges used in rating each performance.
It not simply playing what you have rehearsed for months, it includes new pieces or “sight-reading” where you are playing something that you have not been practicing. This is a real challenge of teamwork and unity. KISD passed with top performances.
The bands for Kennedale representing approximately 140 students, included both the Symphonic and Honors bands from Kennedale Junior High and the Symphonic and Wind Ensemble bands at Kennedale High School.
Directing this success this year were:
Erol Oktay as the Director of Bands, Kelli Wilson as Assistant Director, Connor Bordelon-Ross as Assistant Director/Percussion, Gilberto Diaz III as Assistant Director at KJHS, and Meghan Lockwood as Assistant Director at KJHS.
