Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

ACE School of Tomorrow Ozark Regional Student Convention

#1

Last week, I was able to go down to Warrensburg, Missouri, to the ACE Ozark Regional Student Convention. I competed in 12 competitions, and, with God’s blessings, medaled in 10! Here’s what I did:
Checkers
Monochromatic Scenic Photography
Bowed String (Cello) Solo- 4th place
PowerPoint presentation- 2nd place
Piano Solo- 2nd place
Music Arrangement (My Biggest Project)- 1st place
Music Composition- 1st place
Plucked String (Banjo) Solo- 1st place
Vocal Solo- 1st place
Preaching- 1st place.

I also placed 6th in the cumulative event called Communication and Potential Leadership (CAP). The highest scores from events in Academics, Exhibits, Music, and Platform are added together to produce the CAP score.

And, although I was the only person from my “school”, I placed third overall by school in the Music Division! They give special plaques for the top three schools in each division, and I placed third in Music!

Also, I was given two Command Performances. In a Command Performance, you present your event before the entire Convention during Evening Rally.


:arrow_up:Starting at 28:38 is my banjo command performance.

:arrow_up:At 52:10 is my vocal command performance.

The messages each night during Rally and each morning during Morning Devotions were very encouraging. The Lord definitely brought me closer to Himself through the preaching of His Word.

Why am I posting all of this? Two years ago, when I went to the same Convention, I fully surrendered my life to the Lord. I promised that I would use the talents that He gave me to serve, honor, and glorify Him. That has been my drive in learning music. In John 12:32, Jesus says, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” If we lift Him up, He can use us to draw men to Himself. I know that what happened at Convention was not my own skill… I messed up my banjo command performance, yet God was still able to use it because I’m not doing it to glorify myself! He gave me the talents, and I want to give those back to Him, so that He can use them in whatever way He chooses. I encourage you all to allow God to do what He wants to do in your life. Honor and glorify Him in everything, and He will bless you for it!

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#2

Awesome post, @CBoling. Congrats!

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#3

Congratulations on all your exciting wins! I love this paragraph; thanks for the encouragement. I want to play music to honor the Lord too, and just give Him everything I have, even through mistakes and imperfections.

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#4

Thank you, @BanjoBen! And I owe you a huge “THANK YOU!!!” for all that you’ve taught me since I joined in September! You had a big part of what went down last week!

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#5

Thank you, @Flatpickin_Libby! It’s great to know that there are other like-minded musicians out there! Maybe someday the Lord will allow our paths to cross and we can do some jamming, though I’d be way outclassed!

By the way, I’ve been listening to y’all’s albums… And I’m 100% sold on them! Especially “I’ll Bring You Out”. That’s the best one of both albums, in my opinion. So, at lunch on Friday after Rally when I did my banjo command performance, I had a lot of people ask if I could recommend any groups that played that style of music. I pointed them all to y’all! I also mentioned the Bontrager family, but I fell that they have a tendency to stray a bit from the traditional bluegrass sound, which is understandable as they admit that they are kind of a combination of several different genres. But y’all stay really true to the bluegrass sound, which I appreciate. So, if y’all need a volunteer advertising agent, I’m open!

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#6

Aw thanks a ton! That’s very kind of you! “I’ll Bring You Out” was the first song I wrote. There’s definitely a story behind it; my dad was in the hospital with a brain bleed in 2018 and the Lord gave me the promise in that song.

We’re also going to be recording our third album in Willis, Virginia April 21-27! Not sure when it’ll be out but definitely sometime this year, hoping for summer at the latest.

Congrats again and thanks for sharing your encouraging words with us!

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#7

Awesome job @CBoling! Congratulations! I like your encouragement to give all glory to our Creator and to do all things as unto the Lord. Keep it up!

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#8

I’ll be watching for that!

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#9

Interference from the unexpected clapping of hands… I don’t know how many would, but you held on, that’s commendable! Also, you make it all look so casual. Congrats again, @CBoling!

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#10

Thank you, @JonathanFell!

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#11

I actually kind of expected the clapping. I mean, it’s a banjo, what else do you expect!!! Also, because it was a banjo, most people probably didn’t even notice any of the mistakes, because, I went back to see how noticeable they were, and I don’t think they were that bad, maybe…

Thank you for the compliments, @JohnM! Praise the Lord!

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#12

Poor Banjo! :wink:

That’s good, good Banjo! :slight_smile:

Yours was a very decent performance! From audience perspective, it wasn’t very noticeable at all. And importantly, you got the appreciation from the audience! :+1:

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#13

Everyone claps after the banjo has ended! :thinking::rofl::rofl:

Just kidding! Great Job, @CBoling!

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#14

They even stood!!! I attribute it all to the Lord. Without the skill He gave me, I couldn’t have done it. I am extremely blessed!

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#15

Thanks, @Zachary, for everything…. Except the banjo joke! :laughing:

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#16

:+1:

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