VIDALIA — The Vidalia V-Town Surround Sound Band has a goal — be better than “excellent.”

On Oct. 3, the Vidalia High School band competed in a Battle of the Bands in Ferriday, and was rated excellent.

On Oct. 10, they repeated that performance at a battle in Madison.

“We were the smallest band at both competitions, and for us to be rated as excellent was very exciting,” Band Director Cheryl Lewis said.

“I am excited for (the students). I have been here six years, and this is one of the best years we have had.”

This is only the second year the band has started competing in battles of the bands, in which marching bands are judged on everything from music selection and showmanship to marching style and performance.

Trumpeter Jordan Prisock, 13, said getting two excellent ratings at competition has been a rewarding experience.

“I knew we were going to place, but I didn’t know what,” he said. “I felt like all the practice paid off.”

Snare drummer Cedric Credit said being at the performances helped boost his confidence.

“After seeing two bands perform, I thought we had a great chance of winning or placing,” he said.

The band has one more competition to attend on Oct. 24 at McKinley High School in Baton Rouge, and trumpeter Eric Bates, 16, said he believes the last two band battles have helped prepare the students for the next competition.

“I think we are going to do a great job for all the practice we’ve done,” Bates said. “We know how it is going to be, so we know about what to do for the upcoming battle.”

Senior Arthur Lewis, 17, said this is his first year of band, but he’s glad he took the opportunity to join in.

“Over the years I have seen the band grow and grow, and I am proud to be a part of it,” he said.

The band took its name, The V-Town Surround Sound Band, a few years ago after Cheryl Lewis heard students chanting the phrase, “V-Town.”

Every band has a title, and Lewis said she was looking for a good rhyme to go with V-Town.

“Somebody suggested ‘surround sound,’ and surround sound is supposed to be excellent sound, so we went with that,” she said.