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The Pleasant Home School String Band hit the right note in its inaugural year and captured a state championship at the 97th Annual Alabama FFA Convention in Montgomery last week.

Guided by advisor Karen Castleberry and coach Karen McGlaun, the group achieved this milestone with hard work and dedication.

“It means the world to us to represent our community and school in such a positive light. It shows that, even though we’re a small school without a traditional band program, we still have incredible musical talent,” Castleberry said. “I’m speaking for the group when I say this, but I can’t imagine how proud all of the String Band parents must be of their kids and the school for bringing home a state championship in something other than just sports.”

This year’s string band featured Dalton Holloway on fiddle and vocals, Jake Kelley on bass, Kate Kelley on piano, Presley Kelley on mandolin, Charlie Steele on guitar and vocals, and Vera Werner on lead vocals. All six members competed at the state competition, along with one roadie.

The band performed an instrumental version of “Orange Blossom Special,” “Wayfaring Stranger,” and “Are You Washed (In the Blood)” at the competition.

Their journey began in April 2024 when a parent approached Castleberry in the school hallway with the idea of starting an FFA String Band.

“I thought it was a grand idea and saw this as a way to bring music back to the high school level. I reached out to the student body, and we received a great response. Several students signed up and began taking lessons and setting up practices,” Castleberry said.

Castleberry noted that the band practiced throughout the summer, and their dedication carried over into the school year.

“Even when other commitments like sports, robotics, and academics took up most of their time, they still made time to meet twice a week to practice. They practiced through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break. We took every opportunity to perform, honing our skills and engaging with the community. Many nights were spent freezing or sweltering in front of crowds, improving our stage presence. The students and their parents put in hundreds of hours of practice and traveled hundreds of miles to various venues,” she said.

Before competing at the Montgomery Performing Arts Center and the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, Castleberry took 23 students to Auburn University in March for the Alabama Envirothon competition, where the team placed third at the state level.

Castleberry, who also teaches agriculture classes and serves as FFA advisor at Pleasant Home, credited McGlaun for her support with the string band.

“Mrs. McGlaun stepped up to teach, coach, critique, challenge, and motivate this group. She has been the heart of the band all season because of her love for music,” Castleberry said. “She was at every practice and even let us use her home studio when we didn’t have a place to practice. She always believed this group had a chance to win the state title, long before we ever performed, and carried us to the finish line.”

The group is young with primarily underclassmen ranging from eighth grade up and one eleventh grader.

“A young group winning a state championship is a solid foundation for building a program,” Castleberry said. “I will be looking to solidify and reinforce String Band as one of our premier competitive teams. I plan to use this year’s victory as a strong recruiting tool to attract more members and cultivate as much talent as possible for the future.”

The band members were ecstatic about the win, but there was much anticipation between their performance on Wednesday and the awards ceremony on Thursday night.

“We had a great fan base with parents, students, our principal Mr. Barry Wood, and superintendent Mr. Shannon Driver. They all traveled to Montgomery to support us and got loud when ‘Pleasant Home’ was called for first place,” Castleberry said.

She emphasized the importance of community support in reaching this milestone.

“None of this would have been possible without so many things coming together. We’ve felt the love and support from so many members of the community. Numerous people and businesses cheered us on and made financial donations. Every church we performed at took up offerings to help support us. Many of our public performances were met with donations as well. These donations helped cover our rooms and meals while we were in Montgomery,” Castleberry said.

The String Band’s state win qualifies them for the national competition in Indianapolis this October. Dalton Holloway also qualified for nationals with his performance on the fiddle in the individual talent show. The band will also take the stage as the opening act for the Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce’s July Jamz on Thursday, July 17.

“We’re not done yet! We ask the community to come and support these students this summer. We have so many people to thank for their efforts. Our students have put in so much time and work when they could have been doing anything else. They’ve represented their school and FFA chapter with pride and class,” Castleberry said.

“To the parents: thank you for supporting your kids in this demanding endeavor. Only one of them even has a driver’s license, so the parents had to put in just as much time and sacrifice, attending all practices and performances while also learning how to set up all the equipment. Our principal and superintendent were always in our corner, offering support whenever we needed it. Several groups and individuals offered financial support and chose to remain anonymous; they know who they are, and I want to thank them as well. Most of all, there’s no way to express enough gratitude to Mrs. Karen McGlaun. Thank you will never be enough for the efforts, support, and coaching she gave. Mrs. McGlaun, you were the heart and soul of this group,” Castleberry added.

For more information email karen.castleberry@cov.k12.al.us or karenmcglaun@gmail.com.