Walker band students auditioned for All-Virginia Band. Two sophomores, Trip Taylor and Peize Wang, achieved top positions at District Band, which made them eligible to audition for All-Virginia Band. Taylor and Wang, who both play the clarinet, went up against other top musicians from across the state and were both accepted!

The auditions took place at James Madison University and took up an entire day. Wang described the process of auditioning as “quite calm but also nerve-wracking at the same time.” All-State is the next level above District. “All of us scored top in our districts for clarinet so the competition was very strong,” Wang mentioned. In order to prepare for the audition, Taylor said that he “played the [assigned] etude whenever [he] could, at lunch, on the weekends, and after school.” Furthermore, speaking on the practice time that he put in, Wang stated, “I would spend about 30 minutes almost everyday practicing in the school practice rooms during lunch. I also practiced a little over 30 minutes on the [assigned] etude, specifically on top of my other private lesson pieces and etudes.” Their hard work and dedication paid off, and the two both beat out other young, talented musicians to be accepted into the ensemble.

At the end of April, Wang and Taylor will perform at the Richmond Convention Center alongside the most skilled high school chorus, band, and orchestra students in Virginia. Regarding the All-State event, Taylor said, “I’m very excited! During the district event, it was amazing to play with so much musical talent, and now at the state level I don’t know what to expect.” Wang added, “I took a listen to the pieces. They sound fantastic, with a mixture of both fast-paced but also slow and lush pieces.” The musicians will perform under direction of conductors Dr. Rodney Dorsey and Dr. Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin. We can’t wait to hear them!