Every year in the Searcy High School band, the routine is basically the same throughout the school year. The beginning of the year is dubbed Marching Season due to the fact that the band spends the months between August and November rehearsing the tedious marching routines to perform at the Friday night football games.

Around Christmas time, the schedule shifts when Concert Season falls upon the band. The students dust the grass off their shoes and resume to sitting in the humongous band room to play concert music. Learning scales is a top priority during this time considering the next part of the band schedule involves All-Region.

“Some people hate All-Region, but I look forward to it so that I can see if my hard work has really paid off,” says Senior Bethaney McQueen.

All-Region is an audition that involves all the high school band members in this region of Arkansas. Students must learn to play a few prepared sets of music picked by the adjudicators, memorize the plethora of scales assigned to their instrument, and sight read a piece of music in the audition room they have never seen before. Some schools, like Searcy, require their students to try out for All Region. Many students practice for hours trying to get it right while some just do not care about the audition.

“Everyone seems to be blowing off the tryout,” notes McQueen. “I have practiced really hard.”

Those students who make the cut get the satisfaction of knowing they are among the best in this region in Arkansas, and they get to participate in a concert with the other high school students who made All Region.

“Even if I don’t make it, I know I tried my best,” concluded McQueen.