Story by Ainsley Hall
INWOOD — Musselman High School’s seventh-period jazz band recently earned the title of State Honor Jazz Band for 2024.
Each year, high school bands around the state prepare a set list to perform and compete for the title. Bands can only receive the title once every two years, making it a huge honor for students. Musselman High School last won the title in 2018 and was excited to receive it again this year.
Michael Knepper, Musselman High School’s band director, was excited to see his students succeed. He saw all their hard work and is proud of how much they’ve grown throughout the school year.
“The students were extremely happy,” Knepper said. “They are a talented group of kids. When they first joined the band, many of them really resonated with jazz and even went outside the school to learn and improve their abilities through jazz camps and workshops. It helped them have more confidence to perform, and they’ve done a tremendous job.”
Musselman High School splits its jazz band students into two separate groups. The first one is the intermediate band, which introduces students to jazz music. The second is a more advanced class for juniors and seniors, which received the State Honor Jazz Band title. The band includes a saxophone section, with eight students; a rhythm section, with five students; a trombone section, with five students; and a trumpet section, with six students.
Knepper believes it’s important to encourage students’ love of music through the school, because it gives students a safe place to create and express themselves. The school system offers many different subjects for students to explore, and Knepper is happy that music is one of them.
“Any time students walk away feeling accomplished, it makes me feel like I’ve done my best to help them reach that point,” Knepper said. “When something like this happens, it shows how having music in the schools is so important for students to show their creativity and express themselves. It also teaches them to work as a team and become more confident in themselves.”
The band will travel to Charleston and perform at the Charleston Civic Center today. Knepper hopes that through this experience, his students learn that though hard work doesn’t always lead to first place, it’s important to focus on these positive experiences. He hopes they become lifelong learners and continue to take others advice while also helping others improve.