The Pickens County Middle School Honor Band commissioned composer Sam Hazo to write a musical composition celebrating the success of its band program. Mr. Hazo is a nationally acclaimed composer of band music. Mr. Hazo lives and teaches band in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The composition is titled "RIVERS" and symbolizes, as the title suggests, the musical journey the Pickens County Middle School Band has been traveling.

Mr. Sam Hazo visited the students in the Pickens County Middle School Honor Band and presented "RIVERS" to them. He explained how he wrote the composition and demonstrated the different themes and what they represented. Mr. Hazo also played a computer generated recording of RIVERS so that the students could hear how the final product would sound. At the conclusion of his program, Mr. Hazo autographed the individual student’s music.

An added bonus to the day’s events was the announcement by Mr. Hazo that this composition, "RIVERS" will be published by Boosey and Hawks Music Publishing Company. Boosey and Hawks is the world’s largest music publishing company. "RIVERS" will be performed throughout the world with the following inscription on each piece of music:

Written for the Pickens County Middle School Honor Band Jasper, Georgia commemorating the success of the band and its director Mary Land.

The Pickens County Middle School Honor Band will premiere "RIVERS" when they perform at the NATIONAL BAND ASSOCIATION/COLLEGE BAND DIRECTORS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE in February 2004.