Wesson Attendance Center Band Director Randy Loftin said hisselection as the concert band director for the Lions All-State Bandis a dream come true.

“It’s just a lifetime dream as far as being a band director,” hesaid. “It’s the greatest honor there is.”

The Lions All-State Band is a collection of all the best highschool band students in the state, Loftin said, and they willperform and compete for a few weeks of the summer to show off theirtalent and skill. Loftin, who has taught band for 24 years inStarkville, Ackerman, Winona and Wesson, said he is excited to havebeen selected to work with such talented students.

“This sure culminates a lifelong dream,” he said. “I know it’sgoing to be exciting because of how bright the students are. You’vegot good kids there and good kids want to be pushed, and I’m goingto do that.”

The band will start practice at Jones County Junior College onJune 27, and perform together for the first time at JCJC on July 3.The next day they will perform at Pearl High School, and theprogram will be a gathering of patriotic tunes.

“Since it’s July Fourth, we’ve integrated more of that type ofmusic,” Loftin said. “The America the Beautiful arrangement we’redoing is a tough arrangement. All these tunes are on a high levelof difficulty.”

After that, they will be the feature performance at Oxford’sFourth of July Celebration.

The band will travel to Chicago for a performance as well, andthe trip peaks at St. Paul, Minn., where they will compete againstAll-Star bands from all over the country.

“They audition and try out for this band, and they compete on aninternational level,” he said.

The trip will conclude July 11.

Loftin is a Magee native, and played trumpet in the Magee HighSchool Band. He went on to play at Copiah-Lincoln Community Collegeand at Mississippi State University. He earned a Master’s Degree inMusic Education at Mississippi College.

Loftin came to Wesson 15 years ago and has led the Wesson bandto superior ratings at band contests ever since.