Maudin Middle School Wind Ensemble Featured at State Educators Conference

Last month, the Mauldin Middle School Wind Ensemble performed at the South Carolina Music Educators Association (SCMEA) Conference in Charleston.

It was a significant honor for the group, as they were the only middle school ensemble to be invited and the first band from Greenville County to play at the conference since 1984.

But the recognition was no accident or fluke of timing. Since Mauldin Middle School (MMS) opened in 1999, the musical program has steadily improved, benefiting from the overall excellence of a school that has won numerous awards, including being named a Red Carpet School.

The band program at MMS is headed by James Kilgus and Julie Poston. Kilgus took over in 2004 for Adam Scheuch, who is now at Mauldin High School, and Poston came on board in 2006. Since joining the staff, Kilgus has been named Teacher of the Year (in 2010-2011) and Poston has become a National Board Certified educator. In short, the young musicians at MMS are in capable hands.

Which does not mean that preparing for the SCMEA Conference in Charleston was easy.

Kilgus and Poston sent a tape to the SCMEA for consideration during the last school year. Sending in the tape requires a bit of foresight, since the musicians playing on the tape might not be available, having moved on to high school.

“You submit a tape knowing that the following year’s group will have to perform if you’re asked,” Kilgus explained. “You have to be sure they’ll be able to perform.”

Over the summer, Kilgus and Poston learned that they had been selected and preparations began in earnest. Part of which meant letting students and their parents know that this year would be a little different than previous ones.

Each year the band makes an optional trip to Disney World in Orlando. The concert at the SCMEA would not be optional, which put a little more intensity into the audition process.

“Because we had been selected before the year started, parents and kids knew what were planning for,” Poston said.

There were approximately 90 students vying for the 67 pieces in the ensemble, which was about the usual ratio.

But, the SCMEA concert also presented challenges to Kilgus and Poston.

“It’s a very unique situation because you have to plan a full concert in the middle of the year,” Kilgus said. “Putting a full concert on at the end of the year is not as hard because you have the whole year to plan for it.”

Choosing the right music was not easy either. The playlist went through six different permutations. Kilgus and Poston initially selected pieces they liked, but then realized they did not necessarily fit the ensemble’s strengths. ”That’s a balancing act,” Kilgus said. “Those pieces might have been great for next year or the year after, but for this group they weren’t quite right.”

As the conference date drew near, the practice frequency ramped up. “In January alone, there were 30 rehearsals,” Poston said. “In a typical month there are eight.”

The hard work paid off. Kilgus and Poston were told by the SCMEA president that the performance was a homerun.

At a school where music is such a vital part of the curriculum the success should not come as a surprise. Music is clearly one of the keys to MMS’ success.

All sixth graders take a music class at MMS, where there are 16 band classes offered. The band itself has swelled from just over 200 members when the school opened to 350 members at present. And it is not as if every student arrives at MMS as a young musician, though Poston estimates that roughly 10-20 percent of students receive outside instruction. The rest are essentially learning music for the first time.

“They come in on the first day and we say, ‘This is your instrument,’” Kilgus said.

“We have great administrative support,” Poston said. “They make it possible for our classes to be successful and structured in such a way that we can teach so many kids on an individual basis. In the community word has gotten out that the program has been successful so now we have kids coming through who have older siblings that have been here.”

With the commitment that Mauldin Middle School has made to music and the success they have already had, it would be no surprise to see them back performing for the SCMEA Conference again some time soon.

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