Five Lynchburg City Schools (LCS) ensembles were named Programs of Honor by the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA) for the 2024-25 school year: the E. C. Glass High School, Heritage High School, and Sandusky Middle School orchestra programs and the E. C. Glass and Dunbar Middle School band programs. This prestigious distinction recognizes outstanding Virginia high school and middle school music programs that meet a rigorous set of performance and participation standards.
To be considered, a school’s top ensemble must receive a superior rating at its VBODA district assessment performance, during which students perform prepared pieces and sight-read for a panel of judges. From there, programs earn points for outstanding scores on various assessments, representation in prestigious ensembles, and more.
The VBODA launched the revamped Program of Honor award last school year, instating new criteria for qualification and opening it up to orchestras and middle schools. In previous years, the award was only open to high school bands. All four schools made history by receiving this honor for their orchestra and middle school programs.
“I am happy to have been able to bring this home the first time we’ve been eligible to receive it,” said E. C. Glass Orchestra Director Jim George. “I'm even more proud of the fact that every student in the program directly contributed to this distinction.”
