The Bluestone Barons traveled to North Carolina on November 19th to participate in the 2011 Raleigh Christmas Parade. The band has participated in the parade for many years and it is considered an annual event. If you would like to see the WRAL coverage of the 2011 parade please visit the station's website at www.wral.com. You can see the Marching Baron's performance in part 6 of the parade video.

The Bluestone Marching Barons performed well in their first competition of the year. Competing in the Franklin County Classic at Franklin County High School located in Rocky Mount, VA, the Marching Barons played and marched well scoring high marks on Saturday. Among the awards received by the Barons during this competition were:

• A Superior Music Rating
• 1st Place Drum Line for Class AAA
• 2nd Place in Music for Class AAA
• 2nd Place Color Guard for Class AAA
• 3rd Place overall in Class AAA

Among the bands competing in Class AAA this weekend were Park View High School and Heritage High School. As a side note, The Appomattox Band under the direction of Ricky Allgood Junior also performed well. Could there be some family competition in the future?!

The 2011 Band Awards Banquet was held on June 1, 2011 in the Bluestone High School Cafeteria. Awards for the 2010-2011 Season were handed out by Director Ricky Allgood assisted by the Senior Band students. Food was provided via covered dish and the awards were held thereafter. A band boosters meeting was conducted after the ceremonies were completed. Pictures for the banquet can be viewed in the web site gallery.

Please note the changes to this Saturdays schedule (Oct. 23):

Arrive at high school 7:30am. We will be departing the high school at 8am.

We are traveling to Hermatige High School for the VBODA Festival. We perform at 12:30pm. We will then travel to Lee Davis in Richmond and perfomr at 6:15pm.

We will arrive back at the high school at 11:00pm.

The Marching Barons traveled to Bedford County for another competition. There were 7 bands in the AAA class this time around. The Barons came away with 3rd place in the class, a tie for 1st for Color Guard and a Superior rating. Congratulations!!! Keep up the hard work!!

Q:  Can a music education really make my child smarter?

A: Research has now proven that a music education is a vital part of a complete education. Studies show that music enhances higher brain function, that it improves reading and math performance and raises SAT and also IQ scores. In addition, music provides important experiences such as physical coordination, concentration and quick thinking. Discipline problems and substance abuse have also found to be lower in music students. Socially, music helps children develop teamwork skills and prepares them for working with others in the future.

The Bluestone Marching Barons will be attending our first competition of the year, this Saturday, September 25th. We will be in Danville, VA at George Washington High School. All students should arrive at the high school by 12:15pm. Rehearsal will be on the main field at 12:45 sharp. You are to be on the field at 12:40 with instrument and at attention.

We perform at 7pm and should return to the high school by 12:00am. If you are leaving the competition with a parent, you need to have a note turned in by Friday. We will not accept notes on Saturday.

We will post photos and results as soon as possible! Let's bring home the big one!

Bluestone Band is now on Facebook! You can follow the band throughout the year by clicking on the image above, or by visiting...

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112902938755036

The Wall, Blogs, Photos, Discussion, and more are available for keeping up with the band. Take a look and gives us your comments!

The Bluestone High School band hosted its yearly Awards Banquet at Bluestone high school on May 26th, 2010. The large group of parents and students brought food that was enjoyed by all. After the banquet, Director Ricky Allgood announced the recipients of this years awards including outstanding musicians, leaders, and district achievers. See more pictures of the banquet and award recipients here.

The Bluestone Marching Barons attended the Goochland High School District Festival on March 5, 2010 and performed a list of difficult compositions for music judges. Festivals allow bands to compete with themselves as each year they work to better their previous year's scores. Bands from around the state perform their musical arrangements while being actively judged by music professionals. The success of a band's performance is represented through several rankings including the difficulty of the music and the quality of the performance.

A composition' difficulty is defined by a numerical grade from 1 to 5, with grade 5 (and sometimes 6) being the most difficult. The scoring of a band's performance is represented by a numerical value from 5 to 1 with 1 representing the highest score called 'Superior'. For the 2010 season the Bluestone MArching Baron's ranked Superior in all categories of judging making it one of the most successful of those bands being judged. What's more, Bluestone's High School band has been judged Superior in all categories for the past 7 years!

District Festivals are typically open for viewing by the general public.

The Bluestone Marching Barons 2010 Invitational will be held on October 9, 2010 at Bluestone Senior High.

• Gates open at 3pm. First band to perform at 4pm. 
• Admission is $5.00 per person. Children 6 and under get in free.
• Programs are $2.00

We are pleased to have the following bands join us for competition:

Randolph-Henry Marching Statesmen from Charlotte County, Goochland Marching Generals from Goochland, Dinwidde Marching Generals from Dinwidde, Manchester Marching Lancers from Midlothian, Westover Christian Marching Bulldogs from Danville, Nottoway Marching Cougars from Crewe, Meadowbrook Roaring Regiment from Richmond, Lee County Marching Yellow Jackets from Sanford NC, Midlothian marching Tojans from Midlothian, Park View marching Dragons from South Hill, Douglas Freeman Rebel Brigade from Richmond, and Clover Hill Marching Cavaliers from Midlothian.

Concessions are available along with baked goods and souvenirs. Its going be a great day! Please come and enjoy the bands!

A huge thank you to all the parents and volenteers that are helping that day. You dedication and hard work is very much appreciated!

Registration Form:

Bands interested in participating in the 2010 Bluestone Band Invitation should download and complete the following form and mail it back to:

Bluestone High School
Attn. Ricky Allgood, Band Director
6825 Skipwith Road
Skipwith, Virginia 23968

Important note!! The Entry Fee is Waived if registered by June 30, 2010.

The 2010 Invitational Registration Form - Download

The Bluestone Marching Barons 2011 Invitational will be held on October 8, 2011 at Bluestone Senior High.

• Gates open at 3:00 pm. First band to perform at 4:00 pm.
• Admission is $5.00 per person. Children 6 and under get in free.
• Programs are $2.00

We are pleased to have the following bands join us for competition:

1. Clover Hill High school
2. Douglas Freeman High School
3. Goochland High School
4. Gray's Creek High School
5. Lee County High School
6. Northwood High School
7. Nottoway High School
8. Park View high School
9. Person County High School
10. Randolph-Henry High School
11. Rustburg High School
12. Thomas Dale high School

Concessions are available along with baked goods and souvenirs. Its going be a great day! Please come and enjoy the bands!

A huge thank you to all the Band Boosters, parents and volunteers that are helping us put on this event for our band. Your dedication and hard work is very much appreciated!

Registration Costs and Payment Methods:

Registration Cost:

• Through July 29th:  FREE!
• After July 29th:    $80.00

Checks should be made payable to the Bluestone Band Boosters and mailed to the address shown below.

New Registration Methods:

We have added new methods for registering this year. They are:

1. The traditional method: Completing and mailing a form received via postal mail
2. The down-loadable form which can be printed, completed, and then mailed back to us
3. The new on-line form that can be completed using the browser and then submitted on-line

Bands interested in participating in the 2011 Bluestone Band Invitation should complete the registration form using one of the methods above. Those needing to mail back forms should use the following address:

Bluestone High School
Attn. Ricky Allgood, Band Director
6825 Skipwith Road
Skipwith, Virginia 23968

Important note!! The Entry Fee is Waived if registered by June 30, 2010.

The Bluestone Band performed in the Raleigh Christmas Parade on Saturday November 21, 2009.  Bluestone was the only band invited from Virginia to participate in the parade.  The route Began on Hillsborough Street at St. Mary’s Street and proceeded to the State Capitol where it turned right onto Salisbury Street. The route then continued left onto Morgan St. then right onto Fayetteville St and finally continued on to Davie Street where it ended. The Raleigh parade is the largest parade between Atlanta and Washington with some 60,000 in attendance.  Hosted by WRAL with Bill Leslie and Kelcey Carlson, the parade is in its 65th year with WRAL televising the last 36 years.

Their 34th appearance, the Bluestone Marching Barons marched the 1.4 mile parade route playing popular Christmas music. The 2009 parade can be viewed from the WRAL web site. The Marching Barons show up around the 35 minute time stamp.

The 2010 band camp is scheduled for July 26th-30th at Bluestone High School. Mr. Humphries will again head this event. Those wishing to help during this years camp should contact Debra Wilson or Mr. Allgood. The program for the 2010-2011 season has already been selected and the band students are  begining rehersals of the music. The program, called Fire and Ice, is a departure from last years program and represents the Marching Baron's move into yet another level of complexity and showmanship. Ricky Allgood called the program unique and unlikely to be perfomed elsewhere.

The Barons finished the 2009-2010 season with a satisfying list of awards from Virginia and North carolina competitions. With a seasoned drum line and a new lineup of freshman members the band is expected to once again prove itself among the best in the state. A schedule of events will be placed on this site under the Calendar option. For more information regarding the Bluestone Marching Barons or the Band Boosters please contact Director Ricky Allgood or Band Booster President, Debra Wilson.

Stay tuned for a great year!!

Calendaring, a crucial part of scheduling the band's activities, has recently been added to the Web site. Using Google Apps calendaring feature to manage the events, the new plugin pulls the information from the Google calendar to the Band web site. The result, multiple people can now edit and maintain the events allowing for more accurate and timely additions. Take a look at the new calendar by clicking on the Calendar link in the main menu. Please send us any comments or suggestions you have regarding the calendar.