Two East Surry High School seniors were recently selected to be part of the Northwest NC All-District Honor Bands.
Ethan Casstevens was selected as second trombone in the 9-12 Concert Band. Brandon Carter was selected as fifth trumpet in the 11-12 Symphonic Band, placing high enough within his section to qualify for All-State Honors Band auditions later this year.
Both Brandon and Ethan have made All-District Honor Bands in previous years. Brandon earned a seat in the 9-10 Symphonic Band as a sophomore and Ethans was a member of the 11-12 Symphonic Bandas a junior.
As with most things, All-District Band looks different this year. Instead of in-person auditions, students submitted a video of themselves performing their required scales and solos.
In place of the usual in-person honor band rehearsals and concert, the Northwest District Bandmasters Association hosted a two-part virtual event for the selected students. The first part of the event consisted of a short performance and virtual masterclasses by Appalachian State University instrumental applied faculty. Students logged in to a session with Hayes School of Music professors who specialize in each instrument and received specialized instruction on the instrument they play.
The second session was a panel discussion about how students are able to continue band after high school, even as non-music majors. This virtual panel discussion featured Dr. Isrea Butler, Chair, Department of Music at NC Central University; Dr.Catherine Hock, Assistant Director of the School of Music at UNC Greensboro; Dr. Chris Ulffers,Director of the School of Music at East Carolina University;Dr. Neil Underwood, Associate Director of Bands at Lenoir-Rhyne University; and Dr. Jay Jackson, Associate Dean of the Hayes School of Music at ASU.
The Northwest NC All-District Honors Band event is sponsored each year by the Northwest North Carolina Bandmasters Association, a division of the North Carolina Music Educators Association. It is a competitive event where more than 1,200 students representing 19 counties typically audition each year. In 2021, approximately 600 students submitted audition videos. Auditions are scored by a panel of judges and students receiving the highest scores are invited to be members of the honor bands
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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