Jonesboro, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — May 2, 2025 — Jonesboro Band students made history in April, securing the program’s first-ever state title in what was called a “deeply emotional” performance.
On April 28, the Jonesboro Public Schools Facebook page announced the Jonesboro Bands’ Symphonic Winds had won the Arkansas State Concert Competition and were named the 2024-2025 6A State Champions. The performance occurred April 15.
Band director Grant Harbison said when he heard that his band had won the title, it was “a feeling of shock and a feeling of pride.”
“We didn’t set out to win, we didn’t set out to compete. We set out to have the greatest performance possible,” he said. “It was really a wonderful benefit to having had such an emotional performance, to get that extra added bonus of getting the highest score and being named state champions.”
Harbison explained that no matter the outcome of the performance, he was excited to share his and his students’ musical skills and give those in attendance a good experience.
The victory would make it Jonesboro’s first band state title in the school district’s history, something that Harbison explained meant so much to him as he said he was “a product of the Jonesboro Band” program.
“My dad was in the Jonesboro Band; he was all the way through from junior high, starting in the ’60s to graduating in the ’70s. My mother taught in the Jonesboro Band. We had people from all the way from 1962 graduates to now, and I’ve known so many of them through so many different parts of my life that the program is something that really impacts me,” he said.
While Harbison made sure the students were relaxed about rehearsals and the competition, however, challenges did arise occasionally. He explained that the biggest challenge was the difficulty of the music, equating it to “reading Shakespeare, grasping it, and being able to perform it.”
He added that the pressure of students being able to match how they perform was another challenge.
“You’re reaching out with your ears, and you are mimicking their sounds while you’re playing. You can’t stick out, you can’t play too loud, you can’t play out of tune. One wrong note is like a fly in the punch bowl. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh yeah. It’s such a turnoff,” he said. “It was the biggest growth watching the kids be able to gain the technique and the musical artistry to be able to reach where it needs to be.”
The performance was especially impactful for Harbison, as this is his last year as the school’s band director.
“This has been really emotional, I’ve cried in front of them multiple times a week,” he said. “They’re my children, and I feel like I’m abandoning them. Before our performance, I let them sign my scores, I set them out, ‘Here you go, y’all sign them, I want to keep them forever,’” he said.
Harbison recalled “a beautiful moment” during the performance where he had an emotional bond with his students.
“There was a point in the first movement of the William Burge suite, I was conducting, and they were playing, and the music just hit me. I started tearing up on the podium, they stood up, and they got everybody to clap for them” he said. “After it’s over, I usually give them instructions like; ‘You need to sit down, then where are we going to next,’ [but] I was crying, I couldn’t talk, and not because of the nerve, but because they just played the best concert of my life.”
As for what Harbison hopes the students take away from this experience, he said he hopes they know that they can accomplish anything, especially if they do it using teamwork.
“They also had to be able to achieve at the highest level at a high school age. Some of these kids are 15 and are doing this, they’re learning to strive for perfect, they learning to be flexible as a team,” he said.
In celebration of the students’ success, the band program is collecting donations to pay for state rings. You can donate through by cash or check (make it payable to the Jonesboro Band Boosters) and drop off your payments at the high school office. Harbison said they will also have a band hat at the high school graduation ceremony to collect donations. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. May 3.
Other schools in Northeast Arkansas also received high honors during the competition. In the 5A division, Valley View High School got first place, followed by Nettleton High School at second, and Brookland Symphonic Winds at third.