PELHAM – Riverchase Middle School’s band students are racking up accolades as several have been selected to participate in various honor band programs throughout the state.

To be selected for an honor band, students must go through an interview process that involves sight-readings and playing prepared musical pieces, said RMS band director Amy Moore.

“These students are going above and beyond in our program and are becoming great leaders in our community,” Moore said. “These honor bands provide an atmosphere as competitive and integrating as any sporting arena and also teach teamwork. These students are mastering their art and performing beautiful music with several hundred students from across the state.”

The band program has had students selected to play in honor bands at UAB, University of Montevallo, University of Alabama, Samford University and Auburn University. Students are selected from more than 250 applicants at each college.

Moore said some students auditioned and were accepted into multiple programs. Four students were selected for the Alabama Bandmasters Association’s District IV honor band and one student, eighth-grader Claire McAdams, was selected for the Alabama Bandmasters Association’s All-State Honor Band.

“The All-State honor band is comprised of the best of the best,” Moore said. “Only 23 invitations are given from our district, which consists of all band programs from every school system in Jefferson and Shelby counties. It is a very difficult audition process and a tremendous honor to achieve.”

Moore added that being selected to participate in honor bands opens up opportunities for students to receive college scholarships.

“Not only does it look good on college and scholarship applications, it also helps them become familiarized with the audition process and it even gives them insight in to what it’s like to go on job interviews for later in life.”

McAdams, who plays the clarinet, will travel to Montgomery in April to perform at the ABA All-State Festival.

The following students were selected for honor bands:

University of Alabama
A’mya Harris
Macy Johnson
Jackson Maxwell
Eli Chambers

UAB
A’mya Harris
Tyler Odom
Jackson Maxwell
Claire McAdams
Catherine Blake
Macy Johnson
Ella Grimes
Krissy Chism

Auburn University
Denton Keyes
Ella Grimes
A’mya Harris
Claire McAdams

Samford University
Jackson Maxwell
A’mya Harris
Denton Keyes
Claire McAdams
Catherine Blake
Kaitlin Jamison

University of Montevallo
A’mya Harris
Ella Grimes
Michael Kuper
Catherine Blake
Kaitlin Jamison
Claire McAdams
Annika Galloway
Ricky Hernandez
Aiden Gamble
Krissy Chism

ABA District IV
Claire McAdams
Jackson Maxwell
A’mya Harris
Kaitlin Jamison

ABA All-State
Claire McAdams