Parkway North Sends Two Students to All-State

The best student musicians in the state of Missouri will descend upon Tan-Tara in Osage Beach this week in preparation for All-State band, jazz band, orchestra, and choir concerts on Saturday January 25.

The audience will be comprised of parents, music directors, and other students.

“It identifies the top music students in the state, and allows them the opportunity to rehearse as an ensemble with a nationally known conductor in a professional setting,” said choir teacher Brian Reeves.

Students who auditioned were expected to have learned prepared music before they auditioned.  Parkway North students Ryan Wahidi from the orchestra and Kara Jacobson from the choir made All-State.

“I auditioned on the cello and bass.  For each instrument I was required to learn a number of orchestral excerpts and scales,” said Wahidi, a junior who made All-State on both instruments and will be playing the cello.

For the audition, students are required to learn prepared music in advance.

“Auditioning is a skill that I am constantly learning.  This audition helped me practice this skill,” said Wahidi.

All-State takes time and effort to prepare in advance.  Students that are accepted into All-State are expected to know the music beforehand.

“Students are given their music in advance and are expected to learn it before the first rehearsal,” said Reeves.

Students arrive at Tan-Tara on Wednesday, Jan. 22 and rehearse on Thursday, Jan. 23 and Friday, Jan. 24 before performing on Saturday.

“We rehearse for five-six hours on Thursday and Friday and perform on Saturday afternoon,” said Wahidi.

The band, orchestra, and choir will all play classical music while the jazz band plays jazz music.  The choir will be performing a wide variety of pieces that vary in language and time period.  There will be songs in German, Latin, English, and Czechoslovakian.  They range in time period from the renaissance to modern day.  The orchestra will be performing selections from Gustav Holst’s The Planets Suite and a piece titled Apollo.

“All-State is a great learning experience,” said Wahidi.  “It is an honor to be in All-State orchestra.”

John Jolley  Staff Writer