Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – The Valley View Blazer Band will be honoring one of its members who died last year by performing a musical piece composed in his memory.
Performing it as part of its Honor Ensemble Performance at the State Concert Contest on Thursday, the high school ensemble band will play a piece titled ” … and the message was love,” which honors the life of band member Bentley Peterson, who died in July 2025. It will be the last piece played as part of the ensemble performance.
Peterson played trombone in the band, was involved in the district’s theatre program, and was an active member of his church. He was going into the ninth grade, according to his obituary.
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Brandan Bakkala, director of bands at Valley View Public Schools, said after Peterson’s death, he was looking for ways to honor him. The band already honors Peterson in a few other ways. The band’s marching band show shirts have a trombone with the phrase “Marching for Bentley” written under it, and Peterson’s instrument cubby is filled with pictures of and notes to him.
“I have heard of groups commissioning pieces for memorials and different events,” Bakkala said. “Music is a great avenue for the kids and people in general, for myself as well, to express ourselves and to let our emotions out and say what we need to say without having to put it into words.”
He continued: “We could have that avenue to tell people how we feel and how much we miss him, how much we loved him, and kind of share some of those experiences that we have with him through music.”
Bakkala said the goal of the piece was to share as much of Peterson’s essence as possible. The roughly seven-minute piece features a trombone solo, honoring his role as a trombone player. It also features a duet between a trombone and a flute, in recognition of Peterson’s girlfriend, who plays flute in the program.
The piece’s melody features clarinets, as Bakkala said many of Peterson’s best friends play clarinet. Bakkala added that Peterson had an interest in being a percussionist, which he said he never told anyone about, so the piece features more percussive elements than a typical ballad.
Peterson and his family were religious, so the piece is inspired by and features voicings of the hymn “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” which was played as a trombone arrangement at Peterson’s funeral.
The band commissioned composer Andrew Boyson, Jr., to create the piece. It was paid for through several anonymous donors.
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As the piece’s commissioners, the band will be the only ensemble with the rights to perform it for a year. After that, Bakkala said the piece will likely go on a market where other bands can purchase it. Regardless of who purchases it, the piece will always note that it was commissioned by the Valley View High School Band in Peterson’s honor.
“Hopefully, the goal would be that in 100 years, somebody could play this piece, and even after most of us are gone, Bentley will still be honored in this way and memorialized there,” Bakkala said.
The band is set to perform the piece for the first time in front of an audience on Thursday, April 16. No one has heard the piece performed, except the band members during rehearsals. He added that Peterson’s family, as well as several Valley View teachers and students, are expected to attend the performance.
The band received the completed piece at the beginning of the semester, Bakkala said, and has been practicing it since.
Bakkala said that after the first rehearsal, the mood was heavy. As students have practiced it more, he said it has gotten easier, and that the band has let their emotions out more during rehearsals. He noted that after a recent rehearsal of the piece, students were chanting “For Bentley!”
“We all really, really want to make sure that it’s as beautiful of a performance as we can [do]. So, it’s definitely been challenging, but we are excited to have this opportunity to share with as many people as we can how much we care about Bentley,” Bakkala said.
The Thursday performance will take place at the Searcy High School Performing Arts Center, located at 301 N. Ella St. in Searcy, with Valley View performing at 8:15 p.m.
Additionally, the piece will be performed as part of the band’s spring concert, scheduled for May 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the Valley View Fine Arts Center, located at 2111 Valley View Drive.
The piece’s title,” … and the message was love,” is a reflection of Peterson’s love, Bakkala said. His love for the people in his life, the band, and how the people in his life loved him. He said a note, written by Boyson, that accompanies the piece, best describes it:
“The most important thing would be to tell the audience how dedicated he was to everything he did, how much he loved, and how much he cared for all of the people in his life. How much band meant to him, how much his family and friends meant to him, how much he meant to us,” Bakkala quoted the note as saying. “In other words, a work honoring Bentley should express the love he gave to the world and the way that love affected all who knew him.”
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