By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Newton County high school bands asking for support at performance evaluation event
Sound Factory marching band
Newton High School’s Sound Factory band performs during a recent football game against Westlake High School in Atlanta. - photo by File Photo

COVINGTON, Ga. — If you want to hear some of the best young musicians Newton County has to offer, then Newton High School may be the place for you to be this week. 

Starting Wednesday, March 15, and lasting through Friday, March 17, a total of 43 school bands from Newton, Rockdale, Morgan, DeKalb and Butts counties will converge on Newton High to perform in the Georgia Music Educators Association’s Large Group Performance Evaluation (LGPE). 

The LGPE has been hosted at Newton High for the last seven years, and Newton band director Jason Smith is even more excited this year to get the word out. 

“It’s a great opportunity, not only for students to get a chance to perform and be evaluated in front of judges, but also for people in our community to come and get a glimpse of the music talent we have in the area,” Smith said. “We definitely want the community to come out and be a part of this.”

Performances will take place between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Schools will have the choice to present one or more groups to perform state-approved music. The groups will be evaluated by a panel of three judges with a separate judge appointed to evaluate the sight reading portion. Each judge will be evaluating performances based on national and state music standards. 

In all, nine band programs from the Newton County area will be participating, and their performance dates and times are as follows:

 Eastside High, Wednesday March 15, 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.; Newton High, Wednesday 1 p.m. and Friday March 17, 6:30 p.m.; Indian Creek Middle, Wednesday, 10:40 a.m.; Liberty Middle, Wednesday, 1:45 p.m. and Thursday March 16, 1 p.m.; Veterans Memorial, Thursday, 11:10 a.m., Newton County Theme School, Thursday, 10 a.m.; Veterans Memorial Middle, Thursday, 11:10 a.m.; Cousins Middle, Friday 9:30 a.m.; Clements Middle, Friday 10 a.m. and Alcovy High, Friday, 4 p.m. 

Faith Parker, director of bands and connections department chair for Newton County Schools, says having an audience beyond just the judges for these students to perform in front of would greatly enhance their experience. 

“We’d like people from the community to come and support the bands even if they don’t have a loved one performing,” Parker said. “There are many talented groups that would appreciate the support, especially those from another county.”