Searcy, Ar. (LP) – On Saturday, January 18, the All-Region band clinic was held in the Performing Arts Center of Searcy High School. This clinic is held for all students who made either the first or second band in the All-Region tryouts Saturday, January 11. These tryouts are the result of students practicing over the full year, and if they score well enough, qualify them to try out for the All-State bands. These chair placements in the All-Region and All-State bands are very indicative in awarding scholarships and placement in college bands. Students are available to tryout and compete against other players of their same instrument. Many students will practice months in advance in preparation for the tryout. Earning a placement in an All-Region band is a significant achievement and can signify a bright future in a student’s band and music career. With such an important audition many students experience extreme anxiety before their audition which can lead to them performing poorly or not as well as they had prepared. Some students have spent hours working on perfecting their audition. One of these students is Katherine Peters, the 1st Band 10th Chair saxophone player, and an All-State qualifier. “I spent over two hours a day over the past several weeks working on perfecting my audition, and even then after rehearsing for hours I didn’t do as well as I hoped I would.”
It is also the Searcy High School band’s responsibility to put together and host the All-Region tryouts for our region. While the symphonic band is working to perfect their audition, it is the responsibility of the concert band to work the audition rooms, and facilitate the audition process behind the scenes. Bailey Grimes a senior and Searcy High school band member talked about the importance of working the audition rooms, “It’s a big responsibility because if we mess something up in the paperwork or audition forms that could have a major impact on someone’s audition.” Although it is a lot of work running the audition rooms every year it is a major source of income for the band program. Bailey informed us of this importance, “All day long the band parents are running the concession stand, and students from all over the region are going and spending lots of money getting food and drinks.”
An even greater challenge for the All-State qualifiers is the auditions for the All-State band. These auditions feature the best players from each region competing against each other to earn a chair in the prestigious All-State band. Katherine Peters an All-State qualifier informed us of the high pressure environment at the All-State tryouts, “You can hear everyone else practicing for their audition and you can hear how good they sound and it is very intimidating to try and sit in the same room and work on your audition when you know everyone else is judging you and listening to you play.” The All-State Band qualifiers will tryout for their spot in the All-State band on February 2.
