[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 66 (Monday, May 19, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E970-E971]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO THE SELDEN MIDDLE SCHOOL CONCERT BAND

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                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 19, 1997

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to 
pay tribute to the Selden Middle School concert band led by band 
director Roy Hull. I am proud to announce to the House of 
Representatives that the Selden Middle School concert band, won the 
Superior/first place trophy and the overall Junior High/Middle School 
concert band award at the Festivals of Music competition in South 
Carolina.
  Festivals of Music, part of the Educational Programs Network, holds 
126 festivals in the United States and Canada. It is one of several 
organizations sponsoring such competitions. The trophies awarded to the 
Selden Middle School concert band carry with them the glory and pride 
of playing better than approximately 250 other schools that have 
participated in the Festivals of Music competition this year. Scott 
Dickson, program director for the Festivals of Music competition 
claimed that Selden's band score was so phenomenal. They were the first 
group to perform in the morning, and they set the tone for the day. The 
judges the others would come up to their level. They were such a 
spectacular group. Two musical pieces--``Eoncomium'' by Stan Pethel, 
and ``All Glory Told'' by James Swearingen were the selections that led 
Selden to victory.
  Selden's victory at the Festivals of Music competition is well 
deserved and hard-earned. The students practiced 2\1/2\ hours a week 
for 5 months to prepare for this competition. The 135 eighth-graders 
and their parents raised $63,000 to pay for the trip so that no money 
from the middle country school district was used. They organized car 
washes, a craft fair, a raffle, and more to make competing in the 
Festivals of Music a reality.
  I congratulate the Selden Middle School concert band on their 
prestigious accomplishment.

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