It’s a little early for high school end-of-course tests; however, the Riverside High School Symphonic Band took on their equivalent and achieved fantastic marks. For this band director and her students, it was about more than one performance. 

Under the direction of Alisha Cardwell, Riverside High School’s musicians opened the 2023 North Carolina Bandmasters Association’s (NCBA) Music Performance Assessment event on March 23. 

Not only did the Riverside High School Band have to prepare for their performance, but they were also the host site for the region. The multi-day event brought over 40 bands and 1,800 people to the Riverside High School campus. 

“Music Performance Assessment is to band what End of Course exams are for core classes,” explained Cardwell. “We pick our content and curriculum to teach that corresponds to the North Carolina Essential Standards of music and standards for Music Performance Adjudication. It is not a competition; it is more of an individual performance-based “exam,” and each band is graded on a scale of I (superior) to V (poor).”

The Riverside Knights received top marks across the board. 

“Each judge grades the band on a set of standards, and the overall rating combines four different judges' scores,” she explained. 

According to Cardwell, band directors begin selecting music and preparing students for assessment around January. 

“We select from a list of music that is sorted into specific “grades,” which are difficulty levels. This year,  Riverside High School performed in grade IV, which is the highest difficulty we have performed since I began teaching in 2017.” 

Each band performs three pieces; one is a march, and the other two selections can be anything from the state list. After the stage performance, each band performs a sight reading selection in which they get a new piece of music never seen before and have five minutes to prepare it without playing anything on their instrument. 

“During the five minutes, the director can talk, sing, clap, or do anything needed for the band to prepare,” Cardwell said,  “Just no playing.”

After five minutes, the band performs the piece from beginning to end and receives a rating. “This year, all four judges rated Riverside superior, which is the highest rating we’ve received since my tenure.”

Cardwell has led the Riverside High School Music Program since 2017 when she graduated from college. That same year she became a member of the North Carolina Bandmasters Association, which provides professional development for band directors each year at East Carolina University. 

“In 2019, NCBA was looking for a new site to host MPA, which is when work began to start hosting at Riverside High School. Last year, we hosted 24 bands, and I worked alongside another band director to host the event. In the summer of 2022, I was elected by the eastern district to become the North Site chairperson and took on the responsibility by myself. This year we hosted 42 bands, a huge change from 2022. It is required for band directors to be a member of NCBA and NAfME to bring their students to district events such as solo and ensemble, MPA, and all-district.”  

Cardwell said her students stepped up and made this event happen on a level she could not have expected. 

“Once we got the ball rolling, my students did 99% of the work. Whenever a problem would arise, they took care of it, and I would find out later,” the proud instructor explained. 

“They took this role very seriously and made this a welcoming and enjoyable experience for all bands who attended. I received so many compliments from other directors, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Brooklyn Bailey began pursuing music in the sixth grade. Now a junior at Riverside High School, and is very proud of her fellow bandmates. 

“It was rewarding to know all of our hard work paid off, “ said Bailey. 

Although happy with the outcome, Bailey explains that for her, music is about much more than performance scores. "My instrument is an extension of myself. The music program invites me to surround myself with people who feel the same,” calling those people passionate. 

“My students have grown tremendously through the MPA preparation process,” said their proud leader. 

“I selected difficult music that was more challenging than anything we’ve played together over the last few years. There were moments during rehearsals where I just had to sit back and think, wow, this is the Riverside Band,” she mentioned. “They continually blew me away.”

The high scores were not the only reward at the end of the performance for Cardwell. 

“The judges were very impressed with our performance, gave us wonderful feedback on the judge's tapes, and let me know in person. It feels really good to have band directors that I respect and look up to compliment my students and my teaching so highly. ”

She acknowledged everything wasn’t perfect and there is always room for growth and improvement. 

“They were hungry for excellence and wanted to grow.”

 Cardwell says the band program is fortunate to have a great relationship with athletics at Riverside High School, knowing that is not something you see everywhere. 

“Band is so supported and loved at Riverside High School. I constantly have students who come to me and say, “Can I join the band?” or “I wish I would’ve joined the band in middle school.” 

She thinks it is important for younger students to know what options are available to them and get excited about band at a young age so they stay hooked throughout their high school career. 

“You can do both sports and band; to say you cannot is a myth. At the end of the day, the goal is to make well-rounded students and give them access to opportunities that will follow them for the rest of their lives.”