February is a month of celebrating love, black history and yearning for Spring. However for the 12 member group of all-state eligible band students, February is a month that contains a solid three weeks of constant practice in preparation for their all-state audition coming up at the end of the month.

Becoming eligible for all-state is based on the District band results and Senior Regional Orchestra results. Students who are first chair and sometimes through to the seventh or even eighth chair, depending on the instrument, are all-state eligible in District Band. This is all based on the score of the students District audition. If a student makes the wind section of Senior Regional Orchestra, which takes place in early fall, they are then automatically all-state eligible.

Auditions for all state band and District band are similar in requirements, except for one; the dreaded all state etude. Compared to District band audition etudes, all-state etudes are several lines longer, and the music is technically harder. By having a very challenging etude, judges are able to weed out the players that deserve to be considered the best in the state.

The etude came out on the first of February this year, and with auditions taking place on the 22nd of February, students who are all-state eligible are in a turbo turnaround. Luckily for Harrisonburg High School kids, auditions take place right in town in the JMU music buildings.

Junior Matt Bosch is one of the many students at Harrisonburg High School who are all state eligible. He placed third percussionist in District band. Like all other students preparing for these nail biting auditions, Bosch is facing challenges preparing for them himself.

“The etude is pretty difficult, I mean it has to be for all-state, but percussion especially. I hear there’s going to be about 70 people auditioning, and there’s a lot of competition,” Bosch said.

Despite really wanting to make the all-state band, Bosch is keeping a positive light on his odds.

“I’m preparing myself just to have the best audition I can have. Regardless of whether I get in or not, the fact that I can walk out of an audition knowing I did well, is what I want the most,” Bosch said.

Harrisonburg High School had the largest representation of students at District band this past weekend, and the band program is hoping to pull high numbers in the amount of people making all-state.