All-West Information
& Happy Holidays from THE Houston Band!
It is all west season, and students ALL need to be working diligently towards it.
I'm so proud of how hard students worked at the parade yesterday. For almost half of the students, it was their first parade performance. This is really abnormal for high school bands, and students overcame that adversity exceptionally. The effort of our leadership, new members, and everyone else does not go unnoticed.
All-West Information
It's time to apply that same level of intention and work ethic to our honor band auditions. Students, you should be practicing multiple times a week in preparation for your auditions. It's time to put the finishing touches on prepared excerpts, finish work on scales, and play 5-10 sight readings a day in the "Sight Reading Factory" app the district provides you.
Parents, if you've not heard your students practicing for all west, it is nearly too late. Results in band are not magic, they are not linked to some innate talent or luck, and they are not easy. Students that put the work in are more likely to be successful, and students that don't are not. Our open practice times at the school are still open this week and the week after break, but it's imperative that students make progress over winter break, as well.
Audition Date: 1/11/25
Time: Varied throughout the day, TBA by the organization (typically starting at 8am and going through the late afternoon)
Location: South Gibson Middle and High School
There is time to improve, always. Students, all you need to strive for is to do better than your previous best showing. If you've never made the list before, work towards trying to make the "alternate" list this year. If you've only ever been an alternate, do everything you can to make Red Band. If you've only been in Red Band, how hard can you work to try to move up to Blue Band? If you've always been on the cusp of All State, how can we earn that spot? If you've made All State but never quite principal chair, how can we push for that next spot? Previous principal players, know that everyone is getting ready for you.
This is not to make you nervous or worried about your auditions. All West is not the be-all and end-all of making music, at all. I did not make All West until my senior year of high school, despite auditioning every year from 7th through 11th grade. I now have two degrees in music, have taught over 1000 students, and perform professionally. I only barely got in my senior year and had a great time, but it did not really "change the course" of my musical journey. I hope you can have a good time Downtown this February, as well. Break a leg!