It is 2014, I am 14 and it’s 5:00 am on a Saturday morning, I am just waking up to go to NEIBA (Northeast Iowa Band Association). 9 other band members will be going too. We have all been selected to participate in the 8th grade honor band. This is not the first time that I have gone to one of these associations. In 7th and 8th grade, I went to NEISTA (Northeast Iowa String Teachers Association), an honors orchestra. I knew what to expect signing up NEIBA, but the other 9 students were unaware of what they were getting themselves into.
We arrive at school at 6:30 am and start loading the bus. 3 hours later we are seated in our chairs about to start our first rehearsal of the day. We have 4, 2 hour practices and then the concert. This is going …show more content…
The goal is to get first chair but this no easy task. Everyone also has the opportunity to audition for 8th grade All State. If you make it into All State you will play with the best 8th grade band members in the entire state of Iowa. I had been preparing for two months for this audition. I am determined to make All State.
It is finally my turn for chair auditions. My heart is pounding out of my chest, my palms are sweaty, and there are 500 different things going on in my head right now. Running through the song excerpts dozens times, fingering through my etude for the state audition hundreds of times. Thinking of every note making sure not to forget anything. Making sure to remember every critique, every tip, every detail. My teachers have given me the tools and now it’s up to me to use …show more content…
They started handing out stickers that said “RECALL Return back at 1:25”. They handed out around 8 stickers Only 4 clarinetists could make it to state. They had handed out the majority of the stickers meaning only a few remained. Who would get it? I had almost lost all hope until the judge stepped in my direction and handed me a sticker. I am so thrilled to even receive a sticker. Receiving a sticker didn’t mean you made it into All State though, it meant you had made it through part one, but you had to go back and audition again so the judges could make the final cuts. This last audition was the make it or break it moment. You can either rise to the occasion or crumble under the
We arrive at school at 6:30 am and start loading the bus. 3 hours later we are seated in our chairs about to start our first rehearsal of the day. We have 4, 2 hour practices and then the concert. This is going …show more content…
The goal is to get first chair but this no easy task. Everyone also has the opportunity to audition for 8th grade All State. If you make it into All State you will play with the best 8th grade band members in the entire state of Iowa. I had been preparing for two months for this audition. I am determined to make All State.
It is finally my turn for chair auditions. My heart is pounding out of my chest, my palms are sweaty, and there are 500 different things going on in my head right now. Running through the song excerpts dozens times, fingering through my etude for the state audition hundreds of times. Thinking of every note making sure not to forget anything. Making sure to remember every critique, every tip, every detail. My teachers have given me the tools and now it’s up to me to use …show more content…
They started handing out stickers that said “RECALL Return back at 1:25”. They handed out around 8 stickers Only 4 clarinetists could make it to state. They had handed out the majority of the stickers meaning only a few remained. Who would get it? I had almost lost all hope until the judge stepped in my direction and handed me a sticker. I am so thrilled to even receive a sticker. Receiving a sticker didn’t mean you made it into All State though, it meant you had made it through part one, but you had to go back and audition again so the judges could make the final cuts. This last audition was the make it or break it moment. You can either rise to the occasion or crumble under the