Stress levels are heightening as students prepare for auditions.

The Wind Ensemble audition process requires lots of time, effort and practice which can lead to anxiety and stress for band students at Alton High School.

During the second semester, band students are required to prepare and perform an audition piece that is not only a grade but also determines whether they are placed into Symphonic band or Wind Ensemble. The material is given yearly with a common time frame of one month to prepare. Freshmen, sophomores, Juniors and incoming freshmen must perform the given material in the presence of Blake Korte, director of the music department, and Chuck Willard, director of percussion instruments.

Auditions can be nerve wracking for any musician but for many of the incoming freshmen, this is their first time going through the audition process. “I definitely could have played way better, I was just really nervous and when you get in there, you could hear me shaking while I was playing,” freshman Quinn Halliday said. When playing alone, the process is much more simplistic with less pressure from an audience.

Performing the material is worth it in the end as the pressure subsides, chiefly for the juniors. Being an upperclassman accompanies playing an audition for the last time. “I feel relief in the matter that I have less to worry about band and that I can focus academically,” junior Keyser Butler said.

Alongside the amount of time that the audition is given to practice, students typically push it off until the last minute. Multiple students fall victim to procrastination because of the large amount of stress managing the audition and homework. “Some days I would just feel like I wouldn’t have enough time for this [the audition material] and I kind of felt just like I was putting it off,” Halliday said.

With the process now adding eighth graders to the auditions, the material may be more intimidating to a younger crowd. As some students have repeatedly done the process, there are some ways to help prepare. “Work on nerves and playing in front of people, do not slack on the music because homework will come out of nowhere and you realize that the time for you to practice music gets further away,” Butler said.

Photo credit: Briana Wermke and Lydia Copeland

Junior Keyser Butler practicing for his last Wind Ensemble audition