Solo and ensemble competitions took place on campus on Saturday, February 8. Several winners in band and choir were announced. 

Students prepare in different ways to compete. Some meditate, and others practice until it hurts, but that is just one part of the process. The competition itself is stressful, depending on your role. For performers, there is pressure, especially if it is a solo, to earn a stellar rating and move onto the next level. Some rise to earn the high score, and some buckle under the pressure.

Soloist and student Emma Simpkins walked through her experience of the competition. “I drank six cups of tea because I got sick a few days before. I just tried to talk as little as I could because I was terrified. I was prepared, but I felt like I had a lot of pressure to do well this year because last year, I made it to state but couldn’t attend due to conflict. I feel like my performance was all right,” Simpkins said.

The choir teacher, Nancy Lamont, was the chair of the event. Mrs. Lamont got quite a few student volunteers to help with the competition. Student and volunteer Avalon Lacy was one of the helpers. “We just sat at a table with a map and a schedule. We also helped people with whatever questions they had. There wasn’t much set up. Lamont was in the office going through judges’ score sheets and entering in scores and posting them on the wall once she was done,” Lacy said. 

From an instrument player’s point of view, there is a lot of preparation, and some students hire private coaches to prepare. Natalia Carmona plays the flute, and her song of choice for the contest was the third movement of the Ibert Flute Concerto. “Before performances, I usually take a minute for myself to stand there and internalize the tempo and remember what the character of the piece is supposed to sound like so I can get right into it. I like to exclusively snack on applesauce for a boost of sugar in my system and bananas for nerves because of the potassium before performances. I felt very good about my performance. I was happy when I listened to the recording,” Carmona said.  Natalia got a 1+, which does not happen often. No matter the role, the competition is hard, and they put a lot of work into it, and it shows. A lot of our students are headed off to the state.