At ADM High school, four musicians preformed in their All-State Band/Choir concerts. They have put in an extensive amount of time and effort in order to participate in such a prestigeous event.

Emily Hlas is a clarinetist and preformed for the third year in a row for the All-State Band. 

Carly Kuhse is also a clarinetist and preformed for her first time in this event as a sophomore.

Sarah Briley is a senior french hornist and participated for the first time in the All-State Band. 

Sean Whitson is the only choir member from ADM who preformed in the Mass Choir as a tenor.

Because, the auditions are so difficult, these musicians have been practicing since August. The band requires all 12 major scales, a solo of their choice, and 2-3 etudes to be prepared. 5 songs were needed to be prepared for the choir auditions. “I went through my music more than hundreds of times” said Whitson. All of these hours of practice would only be the beginning of the All-State journey.

Audtitions required nothing other than the best from all the musicians. Anything less would decrease the chance of a call back. Anxiety and fear seemed to be common emotions of the four as they waited for their shot. “It never gets any easier” said Hlas, “it is scary going into that audition room”. After auditions, the musicians waited for a call back audition, however, a call back does not guarantee that the performers get in. Students that are called back must audition again the same day before their spot is sealed. Due to the vast amount of choir participants, select few do not require a call back to be selected into the mass choir, Sean Whiston being one of them. Only a small percentage of the mass amounts of students auditioning would be selected. “All state is no joke. Even if you make it one year, it doesn’t guarantee you a spot the next year.” said Hlas. 

All of these four musicians have experienced highs and lows throughout the All-State process. They have been able to push past their obstacles to get themselves to what is considered the highest level a high school musician can reach in the state of Iowa. When asked to reflect on her journey Carly said, “The music was very difficult and of a much higher caliber than I had ever played. It was a challenge, and I struggled for awhile but with hours of practice every day I was able to make lots of improvements.” 

These young musicians are thankful for the opportunity to play in front of the thousands of people that attended the All-State Music Festival. “The experience was something I will never forget.” said Sarah Briley. When asked about how much this opportunity meant to him, Sean responded, “Words are not enough to explain how incredible my experience was. The music was so beautiful, I am in awe that some thing can be so beautiful, so real, and so tangible.” Only few get the opportunities that these four were able to live out in front of the state of Iowa.

It can be easy to assume that a musician does not go through the same process and struggle an athlete does on their journey to success. However, after getting to know some of the most talented musicians at ADM HS, I drew different conclusions.  Although the musical grind doesn’t always involve the sweat and blood that an athlete experiences on a daily basis, musicians “grind” all the same. “No musician starts out great. It takes a lot of practice, I would get up to practice before school in the mornings, sometimes as early as 5:00 am.” said Hlas. Good musicians are willing to get up at the crack of dawn to practice before the school day starts. They stress about all that is needed in order to perfect their music, and never stop making their tone and technique better.

All four of the musicians are all very grateful to be a part of the All-State experience. The process it took to get there was difficult, however it is safe to say that it was definitely worth it.