Late into Monday night, 9 of the 47 Redhawks advanced from the second phase of TMEA Region 24 to the 5A Area level, one step closer to All-State Band.

In his last year of high school, senior, bass trombonist Vik Subramanian is vying for one of three spots in his instrument at All State.

“I do feel like myself and everyone else who placed worked very hard for these positions, especially because of how competitive these competitions are,” Subramanian said. “Preparing for this mainly involved lots and lots of fundamental and musical practice since the summer. For people trying out in the future, the main thing is to just go into the room and play like how you always play making sure to not let nerves get the best of you.” 

Looking forward to the All Region concert in January, senior percussionist, Elly Campbell views the audition process as rewarding.

“I’ve worked hard since July,” Campbell said. “It’s a lot of work, but in the end, it’s cool to see how much we’ve grown. I’ve practiced a little every day, and because of this I also advanced to the area level, which could possibly take me to state.”

Preaching the virtues of slow practice, junior, B-flat clarinetist Adarsh Javvaji has advice his peers.

“I’ve prepared by making sure I could consistently play with the right control of the music and technique at slower tempos before speeding up,” Javvaji said. “For people aspiring to make the region band or advance higher, work with the discipline to be patient with yourself and consistently fix your problems every single day.”

The following students advanced to the 5A Area Round:

Michelle Hong, Flute

Krista Isabelle Capras, English Horn

Adarsh Javvaji, B-flat Clarinet

Emily Graves, Bass Clarinet

Gurnoor Narula, Tenor Saxophone

Dhruv Dilbaghi, French Horn

Yeocheol Yun, Flute

Vik Subramanian, Bass Trombone

Elly Campbell, Percussion