The Starr’s Mill High School Band program strives for education, excellence, and entertainment in every facet of the band program. The program helps students grow as young adults by teaching life-skills through band. There is a developed sense of pride by the school, community, and county, based on the program’s excellence and inclusion.
- The first band program in the state of Georgia to have both a concert ensemble and a jazz band perform in any year of the GMEA conference
- Contributing factor in Starr’s Mill HS being chosen as one of 32 “High Achievers” in the Atlanta metro-area by Atlanta Magazine’s 2007 School Guide
- Prepare students for college scholarships, music education/performance, and life-long appreciation of music
Concert Ensembles - All three concert ensembles always strive to give the best performance possible and work diligently to display a memorable experience for the audience
- Wind Ensemble has been invited and performed at the Bands of America National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis, Georgia Music Educators Association Conference in Savannah (3), University of Georgia Jan-Fest in Athens (3), University of Alabama Honor Band Clinic, University of South Carolina Band Clinic in Columbia, Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic in Troy, AL, Honor Bands of Georgia Band Clinic at Columbus State University (2), and Georgia State University’s Rialto Theatre
- Through recommendation, Wind Ensemble has been invited to perform at 2008 Beijing, China Olympics, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, and Dixie Classic National Adjudicators Invitational
- Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band consistently receive superior ratings and many perfect scores while performing Grade 5 through very difficult Grade 6 college wind band literature
Panther Pride Marching Band
- Strive to be entertaining, innovative and competitive by creating shows around the students’ talents
- Bands have won many grand championships (.333 average)
- Frequently win Best in Class and Best in Contest awards in all captions (including undefeated 2008 season for band)
- Bands consistently receive superior ratings in all contests, BOA Super Regional
Jazz Bands
- Encourage the excitement of jazz with two jazz bands
- Swingin’ Starrs Jazz Band was invited and performed at the GMEA convention
- Swinin’ Starr’s Jazz Band and SMHS’s jazz choir, An Octave Above, jointly presented a clinic on collaboration at the GMEA convention
- Performs at the annual Spring Sampler (formerly Night of Starrs) variety show
Individual Musicians
- SMHS students have collectively ranked very high in participants selected to the Georgia All-State Band and Orchestra
Ranked 1 st out of every high school band in the state of Georgia (2006)
Ranked 2 nd in the state (2005), 3 rd (2008), 4 th (2007, 2009) - Developed very high quality musicians who consistently (nine years) have been selected to participate in the Governor’s Honors Program
- Several various ensembles have been chosen as lobby performers at the GMEA convention, the governor’s mansion, the state superintendents’ conference, and civic functions
- Students have had many opportunities to perform outside of band including drama productions, choral concerts, church productions, mariachi band, orchestra, and jazz bands to name a few
- Students have been selected and participated in outside-of-school Atlanta honor ensembles such as Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony, Emory Youth Symphony, and Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra
- Students have been selected to the US Army All-American Bowl Halftime Band for 4 years. These students are among 91 of the best marching band students in the United States
- 6 Band members selected to the MACY’S Great American Marching Band, marching in NYC at the 87 th -89 th Annual MACY’S Thanksgiving Day Parade with some of the best marching band members from every state in America
- Seniors consistently receive music scholarships to various universities
- Student conductors have consistently (ten years) received superior ratings and perfect scores at LGPE
- Band students in the 2012 spring musical received the Shuler Hensley award for Best Pit Orchestra