Greene County High School is one of the sites that is once again hosting the Class 2A Iowa High School Music Association State Solo and Small Ensemble contest today.

Band Director Wes Anderson says about 30 band students are participating today, with nine solos and four ensembles. He points out that there is only one returning student that received a Division I-rating at last year’s contest, but he is excited to see how well all the new faces will do today. 

Anderson tells Raccoon Valley Radio that he really likes being a host site for a couple of reasons. He explains the first reason being psychologically because he believes it is easier for a student to give a peak performance in a room where they have had hundreds of positive memories before. Anderson describes the other reason as removing a barrier for student participation because a lot of students have part-time jobs and to not have to give up an entire Saturday helps them out and allows them the opportunity to participate in the contest.

Choir Director David Heupel says there are several choir students that are also participating today. He confirms the other high schools at Greene County today include Ogden, Grand View Christian, Woodward-Granger, Prairie City-Monroe, Pella Christian, West Central Valley, Panorama, West Marshall, East Marshall.