The Bayless High School band was selected to perform at the 86th Annual Missouri Music Educators Association In-Service Conference this January.

The Bayless band is one of only six high school bands chosen from across the state, and the only band picked from St. Louis County.

“This is an incredible opportunity for us. We keep elevating and pushing, our kids are working harder and harder, so it’s really exciting to be recognized on that state level,” Stephan Elford, director of bands for the Bayless School District said. “I remember when I was in high school – I went to Oakville – and this was like the pinnacle moment for our concert band. Now as a teacher, as a director, for Jeff (Martini, Bayless Junior High band director) and I to be able to get our kids at this level and allow them the opportunity to experience that as well, I think it’s fantastic.”

This is the first year any ensemble from the district was selected to play at the conference. It is also the first year the band sent in a tape to be considered to play, giving them an impressive 100% success rate.

Along with the other five high school bands selected, the Bayless High School band will be joined at the conference by one middle school band, two collegiate bands, one adult community organization band, ten choirs, five orchestras, two jazz bands, four elementary groups and two special ensembles.

The conference – which takes place at Tan-Tar-A Conference Center, in Osage Beach, Missouri, near the Lake of the Ozarks – will be attended by approximately 2,500 Missouri music educators ranging from pre-kindergarten through college. It typically goes from Wednesday through Saturday, though this year it has been expanded to Monday, Jan. 22 through Saturday, Jan. 27 to better accommodate the size of the growing conference and the different needs of educators depending on the age they teach.

Throughout the conference, professional development clinics will be interspersed with concerts from the above mentioned groups. The Bayless High School band is scheduled to perform Thursday morning, though the group will travel the night before as check-in begins around 7 a.m.

“We’ll wake up, we’ll warm up, soundcheck, perform, we’ll get to see a little bit of the conference – they’ll get to see some of the exhibits, they might be able to watch another school perform – and then we’ll head back on a bus,” Elford said of the band’s tentative conference schedule.

Overall, Elford wanted to highlight his gratitude for the support given to the Bayless High School band.

“We are (thankful) for the support of the school and school board and the district for allowing us to showcase our students like this,” he said. “This is big, it’s a huge deal. It’s once in a lifetime for these students. We have a very strong parent group, the Bayless Music Boosters … they’re out there with us, sweating on Saturdays and they’re at the football games with us late at night. We’re just thankful for all the support that everybody shows us and allowing these students bigger opportunities that they never thought they could experience.”