The Crosbyton High School band has three new awards to add to its trophy case this season thanks to a new band director and a group of dedicated and determined students.
“It was quite shocking,” band student Emily Reyna said. “I mean all this dedication and hard work we put into every Monday night and into the band period really paid off.”
The band took third in the preliminary round and fourth in the finals at the state marching band competition in November. On March 10, they won a Sweepstakes Award for the first time in 15 years for achieving perfect scores in marching, concert and sight reading in the same school year.
The band said they can’t believe how far they’ve come in just two short years under band director Dr. Robert Rumbelow.
“He knew it was going to take time to work up the best players to get them even better and even the average players to get them up with the best,” band student Matthew Johnson said.
After getting a Ph.D. in conducting and spending a few years teaching all over the country, Dr. Rumbelow joined Crosbyton last school year.
He said as soon as he arrived he started building a foundation and implementing a five year plan for the band’s success.
“This wouldn’t be possible without administration,” Dr. Rumbelow said. “They said, we want a good band program and to do that we’re going to have to X,Y,Z and hope there’s good teaching and good response from the students.”
Students said Dr. Rumbelow’s passion and vision for the band made them want to work harder.
“They’re terrific students and we have a really great time together and I think a lot of pride goes into their progress,” Dr. Rumbelow said. “They know they’re better and that’s very cool.”
Now that the band has a Sweepstakes under its belt, Dr. Rumbelow said they have to keep winning so they can become one of the premiere bands in the state.
The students said they are up to the challenge.
“That we keep perservering and that we make it in years to come and that we keep working harder and doing better,” band student Maurice Carr said.