All-State Band is an audition-based honor ensemble that is hosted by the Georgia Music Educators Association every year in Athens, Georgia. It is a prestigious opportunity due to its competitiveness and is a valued event for students in Lambert High School’s band classes.
Although students at Lambert often see the names of their classmates in posts on social media for making it onto All-State Band, many do not realize the level of preparation and precision that is required for the All-State Band Auditions. The process for audition typically begins in December, when players are sent pieces of music for their instrument that they have to learn. Then, the students audition with the piece of music they have prepared. Furthermore, their audition also includes a sight reading component. Aside from the actual playing, mental preparation is also a part of the process, which Oboist Lucy Bi, who made this year’s All-State Band, believes is the most important part of the audition process.
“I try to practice in front of people too because that helps me get used to playing with more people,” Bi explained. “But it just helps overall with the mental thing, because that’s a big issue and I believe that mental is a big part of the instrument playing process.”
Auditions can be a nerve-wracking experience and the effects of being nervous can affect a player’s performance, so knowing how to deal with nerves can significantly help.
However, All-State Band is also an opportunity to create a sense of community and socialize with fellow musicians. Students are able to meet new people and explore Athens, which is where the event is held. Bi explains that the competition is a great way to connect with other band students.
“You get a weekend with all the people that are interested in the same music as you or they’re playing the same stuff as you,” Bi said.
All-State band is competitive and focuses a lot on individual skills, an aspect that contradicts with the fact that band is an ensemble. In an ensemble, musicians work together to play a piece of music and they are assessed on how the group played as a whole, which All-State does incorporate though more emphasis is placed on the individual auditions.
“It’s important in the sense that it shows your individual skill,” Bi noted. “But it doesn’t show how well you play in an ensemble, which is what a band is all about. Our band director doesn’t stress All-State. He knows that that’s not what defines you as a player.”
All-State Band is a great opportunity for students in band who want to test their own skills and meet new people who share the same passions. While the audition process can be difficult at times, the experiences students collect at All-State are very valuable and rewarding.
