District Band auditions were held Saturday, December 5th at Turner Ashby High School School. Lizet Muñiz is a sophomore trying out for district band for the first time. “You walk in and there is a big wall blocking you from the judges so it’s a blind audition. They base your audition on how you play and not who you are,” Muñiz said.

Noah Pope is a freshman is band auditioning for district band. Pope made it in for second chair, alto sax for concert band.

“I was slightly nervous but since I made first chair in both years of middle school so I knew the process of the audition and there were no new surprises,” Pope said.

Auditions started at 6:30 and continued for about six hours.

“My audition day was not that great. I got held in the practice room for over an hour though it is supposed to be 30 minutes and my audition was at noon so I was pretty hungry,” Pope said.

The students who were selected then have a day where they will practice all day and present a concert the following day. “I think it’s a day in February and you go for a full day and it’s Friday and you get music and you’re with a whole band, Symphonic and Concert. They place you by chairs, by how good you are and first chair is the best and you work your way down and you have alternates in case someone can’t go. So they go and they play music all day and then the Saturday following that they have a concert,” Muñiz said.

During auditions several pieces are required to present.

“We have to practice all of our major scales, our chromatic scales, a prepared piece and we have to sight read some music in our audition that they have,” Muñiz said.

Noah Pope is a freshman is band auditioning for district band. Pope made it in for second chair, alto sax for concert band.

“I have done district band since seventh grade. The only big difference each year is the director. The audition piece was a bit harder than the middle school piece but the judges focus more in the little details,” Pope said.

26 Students were selected for District Band from HHS

“Over 100 people make it, though they accept more of certain instruments. They accept over 40 clarinets but only 6 alto saxophones,” Pope said.