Twenty-one students were accepted into the band, including six first chair finishes.

Junior Ben Blake was selected as the 4th chair percussionist.

“[Being accepted] was pretty cool, especially since the top five [chairs] are all HHS. It feels like you’re a part of a legacy of HHS. It feels good to represent our school,” Blake said.

Last year 15 students were accepted into the band.

Update:

A group of Harrisonburg High School band members auditioned for City/County Band on Monday Nov. 16.  Freshman Philip Hart said that this was not the first time he had auditioned for another band.

”I’ve auditioned for district band and jazz band this year alone,” Hart said. “They’re pretty similar.  You do a sight read piece and a prepared piece and you do your chromatic scales.”

Hart has been playing tenor saxophone for two years.  He said he chose to audition.  

“You can choose whether you want to or not.  I want to do it just for more experience for band overall and the auditioning process [and] for different auditions for the future,” Hart said. Hart enjoys his band experience because of what it gives him.

“I enjoy band because you have a community.  At the beginning of the year, you do band camp for two weeks and get to hang out with your section and make friends before school starts.  I just like getting better playing as a group in the band.  Playing just to get better,” Hart said.

Sophomore Jenai Macarthur said it was somewhat required for her.

“I’m doing Honors Symphonic band and you have to audition for S.R.O., City/County, or District Band, two out of the three of those.  And I didn’t audition for S.R.O., so now I have to audition for City/County or District Band,” Macarthur said.

Macarthur said that she didn’t have to derive from her normal practicing routine too much and that most of the scales she needed to prepare for she works on daily.  

“Nov. 1 is the day we got the pieces, so that would be the date that I started really preparing for it, but it’s more of a cumulative process of all of your music skills,” Macarthur said.

Sophomore, J.C. McGranahan said that it is not her first time auditioning for City/County Band.

She plays bari saxophone, but has played every other saxophone for four years now.

However, she said that last year was a very difficult audition for her.

“Last year was also rough.  Mr. Kirby was the judge for me so that was nerve wracking,” McGranahan said.  

The full list of those accepted can be found below.