Many Pleasant Valley students want to be immortalized in the hallways of the school. For those in the musical departments, All-State is the way to go. When students achieve the title of “all-state musician” a picture of them is put up in the hallway to signify their musical achievement.
Achieving the honor of becoming an All State musician comes with lots of work, practice and hours spent singing or playing an instrument throughout intensive practice sessions.
Many students involved in the musical department take all-state very seriously. The heavy involvement and continuous practice and dedication comes a toll.
Auditioning for All State not only creates a physical toll, but it also creates a mental toll on those who practice rigorously to improve their abilities to sing or play an instrument.
When students in band audition for all-state, they usually consult band directors for help and insights. Band director Drew Anderson provides insight into the amount of work and dedication it requires to audition for All State. “When auditioning for All State, a lot of practice and preparation goes into it, they work hard and improve themselves as musicians,” said Anderson.
Many musicians find it very rewarding to audition and be accepted to the All State Music Festival.
Victoria Rice was one of the few to have been accepted to play at the All State Music Festival. “Auditioning for All State takes a lot of hard work but it is worth it. All of the hours you have to practice pay off when you perform in your audition and make it into the festival. It is a really rewarding experience and proves that you can do anything with the right amount of hard work and time,” said Rice.
While being an all-state musician can be gratifying, some of the core values the Pleasant Valley band emphasizes are self-improvement and mental health. “Whether they get in or not doesn’t matter, as long as they become better musicians, that’s all that matters,” said Anderson.
When asking the band directors or the musicians, the culture emphasizes the gratifying experience of being accepted, but further emphasized the significance of the experiences and skills you gain as a musician through the process of auditioning.
As all-state musicians compete to play at all-state, they spend many mentally tolling hours practicing. The stresses of getting in or not can affect the musicians mentally for days to come. However, in the end, becoming an all-state musician may be a great addition to a college application or to becoming a musician, but the most important and rewarding part of auditioning for All State are the skills and experiences you gain as a musician.
