The Rotary Club of Hopkinsville got a visit from the Christian County High School Director of Bands at Thursdays meeting and learned more about the competitive side of high school band.
Anthony Darnall has been the band director at CCHS for several years now and he says during that time, the band program has grown tremendously, from roughly 20 students to now over 100 in the high school alone.
The Kentucky Music Educators Association using a formula to determine the classification of bands, with Darnell saying they are currently classified as 4-A.
He says their biggest financial cost is without a doubt the purchasing of new instruments—in the last eight years, they’ve been over $150,000 on instruments.
Darnell says they receive a ton of support from the school system, their band boosters programs and the community as whole, and they’re always looking for donations to help keep their students outfitted and well-equipped.
The band program has had some success in recent years, including advancing to state multiple times since 2016 the marching season and coming in third in the state last year and also winning the 4-A West Regional competition in 2021.