Best of best heading to South

Southmont Jr.-Sr. High School will play host for the Central West site of the 42nd Annual Indiana Bandmasters Association All-Region Honor Band on Saturday and Sunday. Southmont is one of 12 Indiana sites that will host an IBA event.

Selected student musicians from 28 area junior high and high schools will be featured, under the direction of guest conductor John Pinson. The 91-piece ensemble will rehearse together on-site for two days, followed by a performance on Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Southmont High School Auditorium. Admission is free.

“We are excited to welcome so many talented musicians in grades 7, 8, and 9 from across the state,” said Southmont Jr.-Sr. High School Band Director Elizabeth Newnum. “The All-Region Honor Band is a great opportunity for students to perform alongside their peers, and work closely with highly respected music educators and conductors. We’re thrilled to have Mr. Pinson join us for the weekend from Kokomo School Corporation.”

Participating schools include:

• Avon Middle School North
• Avon Middle School South
• Battle Ground Middle School
• Brownsburg East Middle School
• Brownsburg West Middle School
• Clinton Prairie Jr.-Sr. High School
• Covington Community High School
• Crawfordsville Middle/High School
• Delphi Community High School
• Faith Christian School
• Frankfort High School
• Frontier Jr.-Sr. High School
• Greencastle High School
• Klondike Middle School
• Lafayette Central Catholic Jr.-Sr. High School
• Lafayette Tecumseh Jr. High School
• McCutcheon High School
• North Montgomery Middle/High School
• North Putnam Middle/High School
• North White School Corporation
• Plainfield Community Middle School
• Southmont Jr.-Sr. High School
• Southwestern Middle School
• Speedway Jr. High School
• Wainwright Middle School
• West Lafayette Jr.-Sr. High School
• Western Boone Jr.-Sr. High School

About Southmont Schools:

Southmont Schools has over 1,600 students, and consists of three elementary schools, one junior high school, and one middle school. Each and every Southmont Schools campus has one goal: preparing students for what comes next. From our earliest learners in the Little Mountie Preschool program, to our high school students getting ready to enter post-secondary education or the workforce – Southmont Schools strives to ensure each student has the ability, the education, and the passion to succeed.

About John Pinson:

John Pinson is Vice Principal and Director of International Exchanges for the Kokomo Schools Corporation as well as Adjunct Faculty and Band Director for Indiana University Kokomo, in Kokomo, IN. He is an Alumnus of Indiana State University, having completed his Bachelor of Music Education in 2001, Master of Music Performance in 2006, and Master of Business Administration in 2018. He is currently a candidate for a PhD in Educational leadership, also from Indiana State University. In addition to his teaching schedule, he is the pit orchestra conductor of the Kokomo Civic Theatre and is an active guest conductor/clinician for festivals and concerts in Indiana and Illinois. He is a co-founder of PASSAGE Communication and is a certified trainer in the Process Communication Model and Education Model.

Mr. Pinson is the former band director for River Forest High School, Fountain Central High School, North Putnam High School, and Kokomo High School. He is a proud member of several musical organizations and fraternities including Pi Kappa Lambda, Academic Music Fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Music Fraternity for Men, Kappa Kappa Psi, Honorary Band Fraternity, National Association for Music Education, and the Indiana Bandmasters Association.