Playing a musical piece on stage at Hays CISD’s Performing Arts Center (PAC) isn’t a new experience for Barton Middle School band students.

But for students who comprise the school’s wind ensemble, as well as its symphonic bands and a handful of alumni, the performance of a piece at their May 14 Spring Concert offered catharsis.

The piece, “Honored Guest, Going to the Sun,” commissioned by BMS Director BJ Sayger and composed by Texas State University Professor Richard...