By Kristen Shepard
Staff Writer
For the Coppell High School Band, 16 is a sweet number. In December, 16 members of the band qualified for a spot in the All-State Band, the most in CHS history.
Generally, band is set up in a two-semester format. During the first semester, the band focuses on their marching show for football games and competitions. This is a completely different type of music than what they work on in the spring. The spring semester is explicitly marked as what students call “concert season.”
“We get our etudes [All-State audition music] in August. Everyone who plays the trumpet gets the same music to practice so that the competition is fair,” senior All-State member and Drum Major Brandon White said. “Then you perform at All-Region and if you move on you go to Pre-Area, then Area and then All-State. It gets harder to move on at every level.”
The foundation of many of the All-State members’ success lies in their efforts to rehearse their pieces.
“[CHS band director Scott Mason] gave us a really generous amount of time to practice our music in class,” sophomore flutist Brandy Sun said. “If you used this time to your advantage, it was really a huge benefit. I knew coming out of my freshman year that I wanted to step it up this year and advance further in the competition, and [extra practice] really helped me out.”
The previous record number of CHS All-State Band qualifiers was 15 in 2004. No one could have predicted this vast amount of success, not even Mason.
“The night before the competition, I could have only listed one or two students I felt confident would advance,” Mason said. “The results shocked me. I was so pleasantly surprised at the record-setting outcome and was very proud.”
The All-State students are equally proud of their accomplishments.
“Mr. Mason told us that he never thought that record was broken and that he was incredibly proud of all our hard work,” Sun said. “That is something I am really going to be proud of for a long time.”
Even though the practice hours helped the band members get started early, it took more than just practice to advance so far into the competition. You have to have the drive to work hard while practicing and memorize each note. Moreover, All-State students must remain calm and composed during their performance.
“The real thing that pushes students through the levels of the competition is their practice,” Mason said. “The harder you practice and the more familiar and comfortable you become with the piece, the better you will do on the day of competition. It just makes sense.”
Sometimes, though, the difference between qualifying and being rejected is extremely close. Sun reminds herself to be humble and continue her hard work.
“I try not to let this honor define me as a musician,” Sun said. “There are a lot of people who I thought deserved the award that did not get it. It really comes down to how well you play your piece one time, and it is easy to mess up. I really am very honored to be an All-State sophomore and I plan to continue working so hard.”
At a school like Coppell, so many people make it deep into the competition only to barely miss qualifying for All-State. White advises these students to not become discouraged.
“I would encourage people in band that do not make it to state to keep their heads up,” White said. “You have to act really confident and practice diligently. Try not to let your nerves get to you.”
The Coppell Band is proud of their great accomplishments this year, and plans to progress further in the future – and hopefully re-break its record.
All-State qualifiers for the 2011-2012 school year are Mark LeGros, Parker Mason, Chris Lugo, Brandon White, Jonathan Bolton, Sean Nelson, Landon Grissett, Aidan McGraw, Nina Jang, Jason Fang, Madeline Zill, Benson Huang, Lauren Walter, Cinnie Lin, Harini Suresh and Brandy Sun.
