With the goal of performing alongside the other top musicians in the state, a group of students at Pleasant Valley have begun the grueling process of auditioning for All-State band.
Only 30 students from Pleasant Valley are permitted to officially audition for All-State. Due to a large interest, the Pleasant Valley band directors must hold their own auditions (which mimic the real ones) to narrow down the group. The 30 students to progress to state auditions this year were just announced.
For all students with All-State, the process began long before the audition. The selected etudes, or short musical pieces, were released in late July. All-State hopefuls worked hard to master these pieces, as well as the scales which must be played at a college level along with a difficult solo.
Band director Tara Daurer has observed that many students seek extra instruction in this process. “I’d say the majority of students auditioning take lessons with a private teacher,” she said. “The private teacher makes a big difference.” After the first round, the intensity increases even more.
Senior Aditya Desai has made All-State in the past and hopes to do so again this year. Desai believes that even with all the early preparation students do, they are just now beginning to put in the bulk of the work. “Even more practice is required for the actual auditions, which are done in two parts: an audition and a recall,” he said.
The school helps prepare students for these auditions, but Daurer believes that students must do a lot on their own. “It’s on the individual student; they aren’t practicing in class,” she said. “We do provide resources, but it’s on them and it’s a lot of extra time.”
The audition day tests the preparation of students. First, they face an early wakeup, followed by a long day at the audition center. They perform, and then wait for results, which are posted at the end of the day. The students who make the cut leave excited, but there is still a lot of work ahead of them. Other students must reflect on the mistakes that occurred during their auditions.
It’s hard for Daurer to see some of her talented students not progress after all their hard work. “It’s difficult because you want to encourage kids, but you don’t want it to define them,” she said. “You can be an All-State caliber musician and not be at All-State that year.”
