The Greenville Rockin’ Bears had their night in the spotlight on Saturday, March 5, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
The first-year high school rock band competed in the Tri-C High School Rock Off, a battle of the bands for high school rock groups.
Director Kristen Englehart, who formed the group in her first year as Greenville High School’s music director, said that although the Rockin’ Bears did not make it to the next round of competition, “it wasn’t for a lack of trying.”
Englehart said as the first group to perform on the first night of three consecutive Saturdays of preliminary competition, “They were so nervous, but I believe they set the bar high.”
Most of the other bands they went up against have been performing for five years or longer, Englehart said.
“They had way more experience.”
The month-long competition includes 30 bands. The Rockin’ Bears are the only school from Missouri that took part, going up against bands from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and New York.
Only three bands advance out of each of the three preliminary rounds.
However, the Greenville students, consisting of Sarah Grace Hicks, Matthew Hovis, Joey Abbott, Brody Teague, and Braden O’Dell, all agreed the trip to Cleveland was one of the best experiences of their lives.
“It was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen them do,” Englehart said.
The band’s four-song playlist was “When Will I Be Loved” by Linda Ronstadt, “Kerosene” by Miranda Lambert, “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry, and “Pride and Joy” by Stevie Ray Vaughan.
“They had the opportunity to sign autographs and get the feeling of being famous,” Englehart said.
“They are young, and their growth potential is unlimited.”