CODA is an association of central Oklahoma school bands. According to the website, over 2,000 students compete for membership in the CODA Honor Bands.

Devin participated in CODA last year. You’ve heard me say this before, but Devin’s 8th-grade year was not stellar. He was bored and not challenged at all. So when it came time to practice to make the CODA band, he wasn’t up for it. But he still made the band. 10th place. He vowed to do better this year. I think he hated being in that position.

It was still neat to see him make it, and he like the learning style of the all-day band then going straight to the show. You can see the concert here.

So this year, we got the music in late Spring or early summer. He’s been practicing since then. He’s extremely competitive and didn’t want to be behind.

Devin worked so hard. I worked with him some. Mike worked with him even more. Devin took the critiques and really made his pieces sound phenomenal. He even played both pieces for one of his directors, Mr. Evraets, twice before his audition. (These pieces will also be used for concert band determinations. He wants to get into Wind Ensemble, but there are some great trumpet players. It’s going to be tough!

Mike took him to the audition on Saturday, November 5th. He said he played ok, but the site reading got to him. I completely forgot about the site reading. It’s not easy. Mike and I both struggled with that.

We got the results while Devin was at a soccer game. He got 10th again. I said he was ok. But then later admitted he was devastated. It’s hard to work on something like he did and not get higher than 10th place. But we tried to remind him of what an honor it was. There were so many trumpet players who didn’t even make the cut at all. We’re extremely proud of him and will continue to tell him that.

Here’s the list of people who made it from 9th grade:

This is Deer Creek 9th Graders who made the CODA band. It’s a very long list! Devin is with a group of very talented kids! (Also, next year’s gonna be tough!)

What I loved to hear from Devin after he took some time to calm down is how happy he was for his fellow Deer Creek band members. He loved that Preston not only made it but was thrilled at his rank. (He wasn’t shocked by Quinn…he’s so talented. Devin assumed he would get the top spot or near the top.) He’s also happy for Kane and wished he could sit closer to him.

I also loved what the Directors had to say:

Regardless of your individual outcome, I am extremely proud of everyone who took the time to register, prepare, show up, and play the audition. The benefit and purpose of auditioning for the All-Region and All-State honor bands is not to “make the band” or “beat the other students/schools”. While those things are nice achievements and certainly worthy of praise, the real purpose is to push yourself by preparing the challenging music, working in private instructors, playing for your directors, and becoming a better player (technically and musically). Do the work so you can grow and improve as a musician. 

Mr. Cassaday

The Deer Creek band is very talented. Just check out my Marching Band post for confirmation of that. So Devin should be extremely proud of himself for making it even if it is a lower chair than he wanted. And he now knows he’ll have to work even harder next year since 10th, 11th, and 12th grade are all combined.

The CODA Honor bands will perform at OU on January 7, 2023. What an honor! I’ll post a link to the videos once I get that.

CODA PERFORMANCE

The music was fantastic. To me, it was a great improvement from last year. Here’s the video. Enjoy!

Check out the videos from the other bands here!