Hockinson band students score big at Pasco festival

HOCKINSON — Student musicians at Hockinson High School came out with top honors from the Columbia Basin College Band Festival in Pasco. The high school’s jazz band placed in the top three bands regardless of school size and took first in the AA division. The wind ensemble received the highest possible rating, a gold medal, for the AA division. Outstanding Jazz Soloist awards were presented to Davis Baker, Zeke Dodson, Olivia Gaines, Erik Hawkins, Briell King and Tanner Linton. Lastly, for the second year in a row and fifth time since 2009, Hockinson High School won the Outstanding Music Department Award for achieving the highest combined jazz and concert band score in the AA division, an honor that shows that the band students are strong in several genres of music. “I couldn’t be prouder of this group of students,” said Corey McEnry, Hockinson High School director of bands, in a news release. “They were professional, polite, and encouraging all around.”