Band students attend the 1st round of the All State Auditions on Dec. 2, 2017 at Graham High School for a spot in a Region Honor Band and to work with a composer on a college level.

  As each student completed their audition, results were posted. 49 students made the All-Region band, with 27 advancing to the Area level.

  “We had the highest percentage of students in the top band,” band director Meghan Lockwood said.

  Sophomore trumpet player Emma Clarke earned a spot in the All-State band, which is the highest level band a student can make.

  “I was very pleased on making All-State and can’t wait to perform with the band,” Clarke said.

  Before the students could go to All-Region, they first needed to practice their audition pieces.

  “Going into the region band is always a little uncomfortable at first because it’s filled with a lot of people you don’t know, but throughout practice you feel much more comfortable,” Clarke said.

  The amount of practice that each student takes is very demanding. Because of the difficulty of the pieces, students had to actively practice. A lot of the challenge comes from both what they are practicing and how they play their instrument.

  “To make the band is not an easy task,” Lockwood said. “Students must be extremely prepared. The All-Region band rewards those who have put in the practice even during marching season. It can be hard to balance school, football games, marching rehearsals, and prepare audition music that is not something we perform during band class.

  The material the students play shows more work than what may come across to people who just see notes.

  “Students have to prepare all 12 major scales, typically in ranges at extreme ends of the instrument, and two different etudes,” Lockwood said. “A fast etude showcases the technical abilities of the player, and a contrasting slow etude is lyrical. The slow etude showcases the musiciality of the player.”

  When first arriving at such a big audition, anxiety can be hard for students to tackle.

  “I felt super anxious, but I tried not to overthink anything and calm down,” Clarke said.

   These students did a lot more than just practice an instrument. They showed both discipline and a creative outlook on music and to life.

  “My favorite memories are seeing a student who struggled early in their playing but make a huge turn around and are able to participate in an event like All-Region,” Lockwood said.