Marion School District

The accolades keep piling up for the Marion School District band program.

On January 13, the Marion Patriot Pride Band had 43 members earn positions in the Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association Region IV Honor Bands through auditions held at Cabot. Along with the 57 Marion Junior High students who previously earned All-Region status back on December 2, Marion now has a school record of 100 students in grades 8-12 earning this outstanding achievement.

“Making All-Region Band is the first step in securing a college scholarship,” said Marion Director of Bands Monty Hill. “College band directors are actively recruiting these top musicians for their programs, and Marion has become a shining example of what hard work and determination will garner.”

On January 26 and 27, the Marion All-Region contingency will travel to Searcy, where the Region IV All-Region Bands will perform at Searcy High School. The concert begins at 1 p.m. at the Searcy High School Performing Arts Center.

Additionally, on February 3, 15 Marion Band students will travel to Arkansas Tech University in Russellville for All-State Band auditions. This marks an increase from 3 students earning the honor in 2022 to 15 students in 2024. 

Students earning a position in the First All-Region Senior High Band are as follows (All-State qualifiers are marked with an “*”):

·        Allie Johnson – Flute *

·        Peyton Bateman – Flute*

·        Kaden Harris – Clarinet *

·        Elena Caballero – Clarinet *

·        Gabriel Livingston – Clarinet *

·       Gabrielle Livingston – Clarinet

·        Yaniv McDaniel – Clarinet

·        Jazmine Roberts – Bass Clarinet (1^st Chair) *

·        Damien Nicks – Alto Saxophone (1^st Chair) *

·        Ariel Ross – Alto Saxophone *

·        Noah Sheals – Tenor Saxophone *

·        Chris Abrams – Baritone Saxophone *

·        Miller Owen – Trumpet (1^st Chair) *

·        Trevor Johnston – Trumpet *

·        Billy Zheng – French Horn *

·        Jotavivis Anderson – Tuba

·        Chris Partain – Percussion *

·        Johnathan Nelson – Percussion *

Students earning a position in the Second All-Region Senior High Band are as follows:

·        Faith Watkins -Flute

·        Kaelynn Wright - Flute

·        Peyton Johnson - Flute

·        Charity Ball - Flute

·        Cambria Rains - Flute

·        Kelsey Main - Flute

·        Kaitlynn Wright - Clarinet

·        Gabriella Toqunito - Clarinet

·        Anais Capers - Clarinet

·        Kera Fesperman - Trumpet

·        Cameron Baker – French Horn

·        Erick Perez – French Horn

·        Tamia Taylor – French Horn

·        Kevin Guidno - Trombone

·        Jude Johnson - Baritone

·        Ashlyn Gorman – Baritone

·        Floyd Stewart - Baritone

·        Jaylah Brown - Baritone

·        Carrie Jones - Tuba

·        Kathryn Hood - Tuba

·        Criston Gray - Percussion

·        Ethan Schmidt - Percussion

Students earning an alternate position were:

·        Brennan Warren - Trumpet

·        Gabriella Lara – Contra Bass Clarinet

·        Miguel Cutanda – Percussion

The Marion School District is an innovative and growing district committed to helping every student find their unique path to success in school and in life. With more than 150 years of experience serving families in Crittenden County, the district offers a high school, a junior high, a seventh grade school, and three award-winning magnet schools. For enrollment information, including information on school choice, visit https://www.msd3.org/ or call 870-739-5100.