CRAWFORD, Texas (KWTX) — The Crawford High School band received a Division 1 superior rating at the Lonestar Classic Music Festival on Saturday, April 17, marking the first time the program has competed in the event.
The band performed at Dallas College’s Richland Campus, where all three judges awarded the group a Division 1 rating. The contest featured middle school and high school bands from 1A through 6A classifications.
“Incredibly proud,” said Toney Rogers, Crawford band director. “Never would I expect that in a rebuilding process and doing that within our second year.”
The Crawford High School band received a Division 1 superior rating at the Lonestar Classic Music Festival(Courtesy Photo)
Rogers is in his second year back at Crawford after previously working at the school eight years ago. He said the program is in a rebuilding phase, with band enrollment increasing from 28 students last year to 41 this year.
“I’m not a traditional band director. I’m music first and marching second,” Rogers said. “I want to build musicians first and get the kids back on track and then worry about getting kids back into marching.”
The Crawford High School band received a Division 1 superior rating at the Lonestar Classic Music Festival(Courtesy Photo)
Rogers said the band put together a three-year plan last year, and students completed it within three months.
The trip included a visit to Six Flags and a tour of the JFK Museum in Dallas before the contest.
It has been at least a decade since Crawford brought home multiple first-place wins from any kind of contest, Rogers said.
Last year, the band performed at the Alamo Bowl halftime show and was the smallest school to perform a pep rally on the San Antonio Riverwalk. The program has invitations to perform at either the Alamo Bowl or Liberty Bowl next year.
Rogers also works with Netex Productions, a Nashville booking agency.
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