Of the 26 band students who made All-Region bands, six placed high enough to receive spots for Area auditions on Saturday, Jan. 7. If they do well enough at these auditions, they will audition once more to determine which State band they make.

Band students are under a large amount of stress just before they perform, especially after making it past the first round.

“I don’t really counteract my nerves all that well, but I try to control them by taking a lot of deep, slow breaths and just remembering why I love playing instruments and to just try and perform,” All-Region member and Area contestant senior Samuel Ahn said.

Even the students who tried out for All-Region but did not make Area are dedicated to their music. They practice whenever they get a chance, even during block lunch. They’ve attempted to perfect every note, accent, dynamic and tempo when playing their music only to continue to improve for their auditions.

“Nothing’s really challenging if you are confident in your preparation,” All-Region member and Area contestant senior Austin Flores said. “But playing your own game is one thing that you have to do. Don’t play anybody else’s game. Go your own tempo, don’t get intimidated, be in your own zone.”

Sometimes even top players have bad auditions but that doesn’t mean anything against their musical abilities.

“I think I didn’t make Area because the audition didn’t go as well as I would have liked for it to go and because the competition was so tight,” All-Region member senior Isabelle Jakobi said.

Even if situations don’t turn out the way they hoped, it’s important to always take something positive from the experience.

“I learned from this experience that it’s all about how you see your outcome,” Jakobi said. “I still had a successful audition even though I wasn’t able to advance. I’m still very proud of how I played in my audition.”

The six students advancing look forward to the experience.

“Its nice to be around people with the same mindset as you,” Flores said. “People who prepared just as hard as you. And then realizing that you’re going to Area with your friends who also made it. I don’t just play for me, I play for the people I care about.”