TOP STORY OF THE DAY: Clay City Band receives gold rating

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A Gold Rating from the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) is quite an achievement. One that Clay City Concert Band received not only on Friday night but has received for the past three years.

This year’s ISSMA Organizational Festival was held April 14 and Northview High School hosted the event.

“The Clay City High School Band has attended the ISSMA Organizational Festival every year and the band has received a gold rating for the past three years,” explained Clay City Band Director Matt Harvey.

The band boasts 27 students in grade 8-12 that are in this band.

“It takes months of hard work which the band has been doing since January,” said Harvey.

Harvey went on to explain that they “utilize the time that we have during the school day primarily for this event. We have been working on this music since January and leading up to ISSMA Organizational we have performance opportunities to perform our selections before being critiqued at ISSMA.”

This is not the only honor that these talented students have received.

“In addition to multiple State Finals appearances and championships in the past; this year the Clay City Band Program has had multiple students attend ISSMA Solo and Ensemble receiving Gold and Silver medals and we had one student advanced to ISSMA State Solo and Ensemble, Clay City Winter Winds qualified for State Finals and finished 6th at State Finals, and the High School Band receiving their Gold rating this past weekend,” Harvey said.