MBHS band sees tremendous growth, excels
Band students at Meadow Bridge certainly have something to toot their horns about.
According to Dr. Travis Riddle, band director at Meadow Bridge High School and Meadow Bridge Middle School, in six years, the small but mighty band has grown from seven members to an expected 107 members for the fall 2025 school year. Meadow Bridge will have around 178 students in total next year.
For the first time, the program was divided into two programs – a middle school band and a high school band.
“This will make the band one of the largest, if not the largest, single A bands in the state,” Riddle said.
Riddle credits the love of music for the great uptick in the number of band students at the school and their great success as an award winning group. “It’s the love of music. Maybe it is contagious. We’ve worked at getting grants for music instruments so every student can have an instrument to play,” he said.
“Both bands participated in the WVSSAC Region VII Band Ratings Festival in spring of 2024 and both groups earned a one (1), which is classified as Superior, the highest possible rating in West Virginia,” Riddle said.
Practice for the students has been somewhat of a challenge. However, it is a challenge the students were always ready to tackle, according to Riddle.
“We currently have not had a band room for the past two years due to construction of our new regional school. Last year (2022-2023), we practiced in a middle school boys football locker room for class. This year (2023-2024), we practiced in a custodial storage area. In spite of this, the band has grown and excelled,” he said.
According to Riddle, when the new regional school is completed, it will offer a room dedicated to band instruction.
Riddle said the community can help the students continue to feed their love of music.“We are asking the community if they wouldn’t mind donating to our program, any band instrument they may have in order that every student will have an instrument this fall.”
Construction on the new Meadow Bridge Regional School is slated for completion in early 2025.