Rebecca Neumann
Entertainment Editor

After hours of practice, band members put it all on the line on Saturday when they competed in the annual Solo and Ensemble Contest at CHS.

More than 200 CHS band members competed and 151 students advanced to the state level and will compete again in May when they go to Austin. The stressful process began months ago when the band students, along with their private lesson instructors, picked a classical solo piece to learn and memorize. Since then, they practiced and practiced, rehearsing with their teachers and piano accompanists.

Memorizing does not come easily to everyone and that added to their workload. Not only did the students have to learn a solo, but they also had to keep up with the normal band music to play for concerts with the full band. They had to fit their practice time in between weekly sectionals and other commitments.

On Saturday, the students arrived an hour before their scheduled performance time to warm up in the practice rooms and find their performance room. However, several of the rooms were running late and some band members had to wait even longer before playing for their judge. It is a stressful process and different from the All-Region Contest because there is no screen separating the judges from the contestants and the judges often make comments to the performer before and after the performance.

Luckily for many of the students, their hard work and dedication paid off. 151 talented musicians have the opportunity to travel to Austin in May to perform for another set of judges in the hopes of earning a first division medal.

For more information about the CHS Band, visit: www.chsbandboosters.com