Plano East Band
Encyclopedia
The Plano East Band consists of four concert band
s (The Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Concert Band & Varsity Band), The Marching Panthers marching band
, and a jazz ensemble.
The bands are directed by Evelio Villarreal, Director of Bands, Jana Harvey, Associate Director of Bands, and John Brennan, Associate Director of Bands. Under the guidance of the directors, the band has become one of the most decorated bands in Texas.
Concert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
s (The Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Concert Band & Varsity Band), The Marching Panthers marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
, and a jazz ensemble.
The bands are directed by Evelio Villarreal, Director of Bands, Jana Harvey, Associate Director of Bands, and John Brennan, Associate Director of Bands. Under the guidance of the directors, the band has become one of the most decorated bands in Texas.
Awards and honors
In addition to twenty one consecutive University Interscholastic LeagueUniversity Interscholastic LeagueThe University Interscholastic League is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, music, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the American state of Texas....
“Sweepstakes Awards” for Superior Ratings in marching, concert and sight readingSight readingSight-reading is the reading and performing of a piece of written music, specifically when the performer has not seen it before. Sight-singing is often used to describe a singer who is sight-reading.-Sight-reading:...
competitions, the Plano East Bands have won top honors at nationally adjudicated festivals in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
; Nashville, TennesseeNashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
; Orlando, FloridaOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
; Winter ParkWinter Park, ColoradoWinter Park is a Home Rule Municipality in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 662 at the 2000 census, although tourists and seasonal workers significantly increase the population....
and Breckenridge, ColoradoBreckenridge, ColoradoEstablished in 1859, the historic town of Breckenridge is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Summit County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the town had a population of 4,540. The town also has many part-time residents, as many people have vacation homes in the area...
. The Plano East Band has represented the State of TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
at the Four States Bandmasters Association Convention and was an invited participant in the 1984 Republican National Convention1984 Republican National ConventionThe 1984 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States convened on August 20 to August 23, 1984, at Reunion Arena in downtown Dallas, Texas. The convention nominated the incumbent Ronald Reagan of California for President of the United States and incumbent George H. W...
. The Plano East Wind Ensemble was selected as a featured performing group at the Mid WestMidwestern United StatesThe Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
International Band and Orchestra Clinic in 2001. The Plano East “Marching Panthers” have garnered local, regional and state awards in marching band competitions which have culminated in being selected to compete at the Texas State Marching Band Championships in 1998 and 2000.
In 2000, the Plano East Band Program was awarded the Dale C. Harris Exemplary Band Program Award by the American School BandSchool bandA school band is a group of student musicians who rehearse and perform instrumental music together. A concert band is usually under the direction of one or more conductors...
Directors Association. This award is given to one high school band program annually in the United States.
Recently, the 2006 Plano East Percussion EnsemblePercussion ensembleA percussion ensemble is a musical ensemble consisting of only percussion instruments. Although the term can be used to describe any such group, it commonly refers to groups of classically-trained percussionists performing primarily classical music. Percussion ensembles are most commonly found at...
was invited to perform a feature concert at the Percussive Arts SocietyPercussive Arts SocietyThe Percussive Arts Society is an international music service organization promoting percussion education, research,performance and appreciation.Established in 1961 as a non-profit, music service organization,...
Convention to be held during the month of November in Austin. Only three high school percussion ensembles in the country received this honor.
The 2006 and 2008 Plano East Wind Ensembles advanced as an honor band representative from TMEA Region 24 to the area level. Only two bands were selected to advance from a very competitive field of very fine bands. In 2006, the Plano East Wind Ensemble was named as the runner upRunner-upRunner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...
to the state honor band title.
Through the efforts of students and directors, the Plano East Bands have firmly established a “Tradition of Excellence”.
The Plano East Band also has a habit of producing students who will eventually become famous. Although, no one who has emerged from this organization has become, currently is, or will become famous.