Seven Lancers land All Suburban band
November 10, 2015
Juniors Sai Allu, Joy Chen, Chloe Descher, Jenna Killips, Melissa Northerm, Emily Schaper and David Zhang were selected to participate in All-Suburban band.
All-Suburban is a group of selected band members from around the St. Louis area. According to Brad Balog, band teacher, only the best musicians are make it. In order to be accepted into the group, the students have to go through a rigorous audition.
“It depends on the instrument, but anywhere from five to seven pieces of music they had to prepare, plus 19 scales,” Balog stated.
Those wishing to audition had to show up at Ladue High School, where they would preform a blind audition in front of judges. Killips, who plays the euphonium, said, “I started practicing in the summer, about four days a week. Two weeks before the auditions, I practiced almost everyday.”
When asked about what she was most excited about, Killips said, “Playing with really good musicians.”
According to Balog, one of the benefits is becoming a better musician, along with making friends. In addition, those who made All-Suburban are eligible to audition for All State band on Dec 5.
“We have had more than the seven who made it audition. I’m excited for all of them who took that audition and worked towards that goal. I think it was a positive experience for all of them,” Balog said.
Balog also stated that he’s excited for those who made it and looks forward to them participating in a group with the best of the best.
