You’re on the stage of the most beautiful concert hall you’ve ever played in, the same stage where world-class musicians play almost every week. You sit in nervous anticipation of the concert that will start in just a few minutes and you hope everything goes well. At your normal school concerts, you never get this nervous or excited, but this is different. At school you are one of the best players there. Here you are surrounded by dozens of incredibly talented players your age and you can’t believe you made it into this group. You flip through your music to find a tough passage to run through. You have come to love this music so much. The conductor made it come alive as you all rehearsed it together. You learned so much about the story behind the piece and how to express that story in the way you play. You can’t wait to perform for your friends and family sitting in the audience, but this music is tough. It’s harder than anything you’ve ever played before, and you just hope that you can play it as well as you’d like to. Your stand partner makes a joke and you laugh together for a minute before finding another section to warm up on. You’ve met some really great people in this ensemble. It’s been so much fun to get to know them over the last couple of days together. They all come from different schools and have different stories, but they all love music just as much as you do. Playing in a group like that, where everyone is so committed and focused has been an amazing experience. As the lights dim and the conductor’s baton goes down, you know you wouldn’t trade it for anything.
As the All-State Orchestra Manager, I’ve watched hundreds of students have this kind of experience. That’s why I do it. It’s so rewarding to see these students challenge themselves and achieve remarkable results in such a short amount of time. For some of these students, it’s the first time they’ve ever played in a symphonic orchestra or played this level of repertoire. Nothing is quite like being part of the All-State Orchestra.
When I try to tell my students that they should audition, I invariably have students ask me why. What’s in it for them? Why should they take the time to put in that kind of effort when they might not even make it in? If you or your students are asking the same questions, here are some things to consider.
The audition process is a valuable experience on its own.
Preparing audition materials can be time-consuming and difficult, especially if students are doing it without a teacher’s help. Students have to plan out how to prepare and then discipline themselves enough to do it. Ideally, they should be looking up recordings of the excerpts so they get a feel for what the music should sound like. They should be playing the excerpts in front of people to practice and recording themselves multiple times to get the best take.
If students want to play music in college, this kind of preparation is invaluable. They will probably have to learn orchestral excerpts and go through a similar audition process to get into their college orchestra.
Even if students aren’t selected to be a part of the All-State Orchestra, they still receive feedback from the audition reviewers on how they did and what they could continue to work on. They can take that feedback to help them prepare for the All-State audition the next year, or they can use it to improve their playing generally.
All-State ensembles are a unique experience that students may never have anywhere else.
All-State ensembles take some of the best student musicians from across the state and put them all together in a single ensemble. It’s a rare experience to play in a group entirely composed of such focused, dedicated, and skilled musicians. Students who are the best players at their school may suddenly find they are surrounded by people who are just as good – if not better. The whole ensemble can participate in music making at a higher level than they ever could before.
The rehearsal process is unique as well. Students are expected to learn most of the music on their own, before coming to the first rehearsal. Besides a couple of shorter rehearsals to get the students started, almost all of the rehearsal and group preparation happens in just a couple of days.
Colleges and other programs actively recruit All-State participants.
Being an All-State participant carries a lot of weight on applications. Colleges often send representatives to recruit at All-State events and I’ve seen other programs and ensembles specifically reach out to All-State participants with invitations to apply and scholarship offers. All-State is an honor that will set students apart from others and can often help students find opportunities that they may not know about otherwise.
All-State students strengthen their school programs.
Nothing gets students more excited about music than having a great musical experience. All-State participants will come back to your classes with excitement and enthusiasm, and that enthusiasm is contagious. When you have students make it into All-State, share their stories. Tell your administration and community about it. Tell your students about it. Those stories will inspire other students to audition and your program will benefit.