Pierce High Students Go to All-State Music
Launch the media gallery 1 playerBy Sara Thomsen
From November 16-18 six students from Pierce High participated in the All-State Music Festival; in addition, the Pierce High Jazz band played on Friday in Lincoln at the Nebraska Music Educators Association (NMEA) conference.
Seniors Travis Emory and Tate Reinke, sophomore Mya Johnson, and freshman Spencer Sindt are playing in the All-State band. At the same time, senior Ashley Wacker and junior Hadleigh Collison are participating in the choir.
“It is a level of difficulty that all of Nebraska competes for. It is a try-out process and for the choir – 545 kids are participating,” says choir teacher Amy Barnhill.
Pierce’s jazz band also performed at 10:30, as they were one of five bands selected to present at the NMEA conference.
When asked about the audition process for All-State choir, Collision remarks, “I had to try out for solos, so I sent in a second recording after our tryout recording. For choir, you are given all the songs and don't get to know your tryout pieces until the three days you have to record, so all the practicing I had to do was before tryouts. I go into the study hall and go through them every once in a while to ensure I have all of them.”
Collison was selected as a Soprano I, and Wacker was selected as a Soprano II.
All-State band tryouts were similar to those for All-State choir. Reinke explains his process for the band audition, “I mostly prepared for the audition by taking a couple of lessons from other trombone players. It also helped to get some musical opinions on the audition music from much more skilled band students.”
Johnson was selected on flute, Reinke and Sindt on trombone, and Emory in percussion.
A final choir concert was presented for the public on Saturday, November 18, at 4:30 p.m., while the public band concert was at 7:30 p.m. Both concerts were held at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts.
