MUSCATINE, Iowa–For band students at the junior high school and high school level, earning a spot in the southeast Iowa Bandmasters Association District Honor Band represents one of the most prestigious distinctions they can earn. Muscatine Community School District may have only 15 junior high school and 15 high school students complete the rigorous audition process to try and earn a spot. This year, five Susan Clark Junior High School and seven Muscatine High School students earned spots in the honor band and will perform at the University of Iowa Jan. 21.

Throughout the first semester of the school year, band students interested in trying out for the honor band practice a pair of audition songs as well as nine major scales and the chromatic scale for their instruments. At auditions, students play selections announced that day of the two songs they practiced, two scales selected at random, and their chromatic scales. Percussion players must demonstrate their mallet skills as well as play on timpani and snare drums as well.

This year, Naydelin Acuna playing oboe, Garrett Bosten playing clarinet, Natalie Clove playing baritone saxophone, Garrick Fillmore playing French horn, and Colton Ineichen playing alto saxophone will represent Susan Clark Junior High School. Natalie also earned the additional honor of making it into the All Iowa Eighth Grade Honor Band, which takes the 22 best eighth grade players in the state annually: “Only the top students in each section of auditions are selected for this honor. Congratulations to our eighth grade bari sax player, Natalie Clove!” beamed Susan Clark Junior High School Director of Bands Jennifer Rosin.

Jayden Brooks playing trombone, Axl Harris playing bass trombone, Ashton Heim playing trumpet, Grace Kreitner playing bass clarinet, Shiloh Morter playing French horn, Tristan Reidel playing euphonium, and Lucas Zaehringer playing jazz piano will represent Muscatine High School.

On Jan. 21, all of the students traveled to the University of Iowa to practice with guest conductors Cory Schmitt and Dr. Eric Bush. In the late afternoon and evening, each level of performers, along with the jazz band, performed in the Voxman Music Building (93 East Burlington Street in Iowa City).

An honor for all 12 of the Muscatine Community School District students attending, their teachers take great pride in how hard these musicians worked to earn their places. “While I am proud of the effort they put forth, I have always told the students it isn’t about whether they make it, but the work they put into the preparation,” said Muscatine High School Director of Bands Jeff Heid: “That time preparing is where the majority of their growth occurs. The audition and (if accepted) the performance is just the icing on the final cake.”

“During audition day, they supported one another, cheered each other on, and played with maturity and passion,” added Rosin: “The leadership that blossomed on this day was just as important to me as the music that they made! These 11 will now take what they learned during the audition process back into our bands and help to push us to higher levels.”