Performing in the All-State Symphonic Band was an unreal experience.
The selection process starts with around 10,000 students and narrows down to only the best musicians. For percussion at region, they take only 4 from an average of 40 who try out; at area, the number drops to 2 out of 20.
It is extremely difficult to make the band.
When I auditioned at region, I hadn’t played my best but still placed first. In my area audition, I messed up my marimba etude, which could have had an especially detrimental effect on my ranking — last year I had missed one note and placed third, missing state by one spot.
I was stressed out and talking about it with my dad, Humberto Sanchez, the director of the Devine Mighty Warhorse Band. While we were moving equipment out of the audition room, my older cousin, Stevie Sanchez from Carrizo Springs, walked up to us.
He approached my dad and spoke in a quiet tone I couldn’t hear — but I could read his lips.
“Did you see what place he got?” he asked my dad.
My dad, of course, said no and looked at my cousin’s phone. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he slowly looked up at Stevie, still whispering, saying, “He made it?”
Stevie nodded before my dad turned to me and said, “You’re an All-Stater. You’re the best in the area!”
Hearing the results, I freaked out and hugged my dad, jumping excitedly and celebrating. My one goal for the year was to make state because the band will be dropping to 3A classification next year. I wouldn’t be able to prove that I was good enough for 4A if we moved down, so this moment was unbelievable for me.
A few people I didn’t know congratulated me, and overhearing their comments as I walked by in the hallways made me realize how big of a moment this really was.
Soon, I received the music I needed to practice and got to work. In my opinion I did not practice as much as I could have, but the music was pretty easy.
When we arrived at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where we would stay and rehearse with the band, the building towered over us like a mountain. After maneuvering through the crowds, we checked in, and that’s where I met my roommate for the next four days. He was a trumpet player from Pearsall and had a pretty cool attitude toward the event.
I went to my room, unpacked my stuff and got straight to practicing for my audition in three hours. A couple of my other roommates walked in but didn’t say much, since they were practicing as well. Everyone was pretty stressed.
When the time came for our meeting, everyone was dispersed into individual audition rooms. Just walking into one, you could feel the pressure. With everyone being incredibly talented and skilled, even the simplest mistakes could significantly affect your ranking.
I performed my snare piece exceptionally well, and felt strong about my timpani performance, but when I stepped up to the xylophone, I completely blanked and froze. At that moment I thought it was over for me. But as it turns out almost everyone had messed up besides two or three students, many either didn’t know the music or hadn’t practiced enough.
After I finished my audition, I waited four and a half hours for the judges to post the results. The competition was extremely close. I placed fifth because. Considering I hadn’t practiced my xylophone much and there were 10 competitors total, it felt like pretty good finish.
Later in the day, we received our music. The music was pretty hard to learn in three days, but I made it work.
After rehearsals, we got the chance to tour San Antonio on our own. Since I go there every week, it wasn’t the best experience for me, but it was still fun to hang out with my new friends and see parts of the city that aren’t as popular. I can’t lie — I even got lost a few times.
When the day of the concert came, the tension was high throughout the band. Our last rehearsal hadn’t gone well and we all knew we had been slacking. But hanging out with my section relieved some of my stress and reminded me that I should have fun with the entire experience.
Walking onto that stage was one of the best feelings ever. I never thought I’d actually make it, and knowing I truly belonged there made me realize how far I had come.
We performed our pieces, and I had the time of my life.
Performing in the All-State Symphonic Band was an unreal experience.
After thanking everyone who attended the concert, my girlfriend, Emma, and I head over to the TMEA convention to check out the booths and brands. The place felt endless — there were so many different instruments, colleges, percussion equipment and band organization booths.
As we moved through the crowds, I met some legendary drum corps instructors.
Talking to them, hearing and learning about their different concepts for various drumming styles was really cool.
This experience has shown me that nobody is perfect. You shouldn’t stress too much about little mistakes when you can look at the bigger picture, and see how well the rest of your performance was.
This doesn’t apply only to music, but to anything in life.
