Cypress Lake’s wind ensemble (top left), jazz band (bottom left), and orchestra (right)
Over the course of the past couple months, Cypress Lake’s three music departments wrapped up their Music Performance Assessment season in an outstanding way.
Music Performance Assessments (MPAs) are significant annual events in the student music sphere. Groups consisting of young musicians from around the state are critically examined across various categories. MPA establishes goals to achieve for both performers and directors, incentivizes learning from all talented groups present, and grants the opportunity to showcase the culmination of a full year’s work and growth in music.
MPA season began towards the end of last year, with the earliest examination being for marching band. The Cypress Lake Marching Pride traveled to Fort Myers High School for their assessment, and came back with top scores. The band department was also the first to return to the MPA scene in 2025. On Feb. 10, they attended their second test of the year at the North Fort Myers Academy of the Arts, in which they exhibited the skills of their jazz ensemble. The highest possible rating of MPA is a “Superior,” and the jazz ensemble proudly scored straight superiors across the board for their performance.
Next to step onto the MPA Stage was the strings department. On Feb. 20, the orchestra went to Aubrey Rogers High School to participate in their yearly evaluation. They also attained all superior scores.
Choral and concert band MPAs soon followed the first week of March. For these assessments, Cypress had the responsibility and honor of hosting onsite. CLHS students took on many jobs, including acting as guides, recording audio, and various other roles to assist the Florida School Music Association in ensuring the smooth running of their events.
Taking place first in the demanding week were the choir gradings. Like the groups that came before, both Cypress’ Intermezzo and Chorale received straight superiors. Students then worked quickly to set up for the largest and longest-running assessment – Concert Band MPA. As the last of the CLHS music groups to perform, the wind ensemble was determined to continue the streak, and their hard work resulted in resounding success. Our final assessed performers of the year remarkably also earned straight superiors.
Accomplishing the highest possible results for all five MPAs is an incredible feat. These scores spell very exciting news for Cypress, with the Center continuing to shine brightly as a strong competitor in the arts world.