Clinton High Band Students Attend Honor Band and Conductor’s Symposium

On Valentine’s Day weekend, Clinton High School sent four student musicians to the University of South Carolina for the three day-long Honor Band and Conductor’s Symposium. Seniors Nishyah Scott, Catelyn Caughman, Deven Bailey, and junior Rachel Vondergeest were accepted to the program based on their outstanding musicianship. Students submitted an audition video and were placed into ensembles based on those recordings.

Rachel Vondergeest and Deven Bailey both ranked in the Honor Bands for their respective instruments. Deven was the only Bari Saxophone in the Honor Jazz Band and Rachel was first chair in the Honor Concert Band, out of 26 other auditionees. Nishyah Scott and Catelyn Caughman performed in the Montgomery Concert Band, led by master teacher Alyssa Montgomery of Raleigh, North Carolina. In total, over 300 students from the regional Southeast, including Georgia, Florida, Virginia,Tennessee, and even Ohio, participated in the event representing more than 50 different high schools. It is an outstanding accomplishment for these four students to have their names added to that list, and a wonderful opportunity to work with the faculty, professors, and guest clinicians at UofSC. Bravo to all! Thank you to everyone who has and continues to support the wonderful music making in Clinton.

Laurens County School District 56 is proud of these musicians and their accomplishments. We work incredibly hard to develop and showcase student talent across the district and this is a perfect example of the talent here in District 56! We look forward to seeing their talent continue to grow in the years ahead.

Pictured from left to right – Rachel Vondergeest, Nishyah Scott, Catelyn Caughman, Kate Wages (Alumni), and Deven Bailey