Each year students from all across Iowa come to compete to find the best of the best musicians. West High is one of these schools that participate in this tradition, this is called All-State. All-State is the Olympics for high school musicians, the preparation, anxiety, and pressures are unlike any other. 

Fortunately though, this year West High had four individuals accepted into All-State. Kyle Squire was accepted as a Bass Two for the Choir, Jaxon Thoms as a second alternate French Horn for the Band, Phoebe Morgan and Ester Shin were accepted on violin for the Orchestra.

The preparation process for each ensemble is vastly different. Each auditionee must prepare a one-minute solo of their choice, a few etudes, and memorize all twelve major scales in every key. In the actual audition, you must pull a card that has two scales on it, you don’t know which scales you will get until you will receive until you are in the room that’s why it’s necessary to memorize all twelve. 

The Band usually starts to prepare at the beginning of their summer rehearsals for Marching Band, so late July or early August. Along with learning some of the toughest music they will learn in their high school career they also have to juggle memorizing music for Marching Band, early morning rehearsals, and late nights due to band and school. Thoms took extra preparation outside of school when he saw a UNI professor, Madelin Tarantelli, to take private lessons to try and give him the upper hand in his All-State preparation. 

Thoms’ freshman year he was accepted into the Allstate band as an alternate as well, this caused a slew of unexpected issues that many other kids auditioning for All-State here at West did not encounter. 

Thoms felt outside pressure from his family, teachers, and peers to make the All-State band once again this year. Thoms noted that the All-State band took fewer horns this year than they did last year so the chances to get in were getting slimmer and slimmer for him. Thoms has experienced how hard work and dedication pay off on a first-hand account. 

The All-State music for the choir is released a few weeks before school starts, which is when an optional training camp is offered, which although very expensive is also very beneficial. There is an event that is free to students called the Vocal Arts Festival which is where you sing the ll-State music with so many other students who are also auditioning. The day of, when you are at Hampton-Dumont High School, you will either get in right away, rejected, or recalled so they can take a second look at your talents. 

One of the most important parts is to practice your music at home and outside of school and take advantage of all the opportunities to get better that you can. During this time choir students must also juggle their schoolwork and prepare for their annual fall concert, they must learn how to manage their time wisely and creatively prepare for auditions. 

QUOTE: “It was really the idea that I might actually have a shot at this that brought me back down to earth.”

When Kyle Squire auditioned he was recalled so the judges could hear him again. Although Squire was confident in himself and all he had to offer within his musical capabilities, the doubt and worry that clouded his mind were bigger than any positivity in sight. 

This is when one of the worst things a singer wants to happen on a big day happens. He began to lose his voice. The overuse and strenuous hours of rehearsing had finally caught up to him but at the worst time. 

Thankfully, he was surrounded by his friends who were there to support him. Squire and a few other choir members had decided to play Silent UNO, not only did they have a blast due to this being so much funnier than normal UNO but he also felt reassurance and believed this was what singlehandedly saved his voice on that day. 

After the recall audition was completed and Squire got the news that he was accepted his attitude completely switched around. He was hugging and screaming and telling all of his friends the news.

The process for Orchestra auditions is very similar to the Band auditions. The auditionees are expected to prepare a solo that is roughly one minute long, five excerpts are chosen by the All-State officials over the summer and students must prepare all of their Major scales. They prepare for the components of the audition for months. On the day of auditions at five in the morning, the All-State officials choose two out of the five excerpts and two major scales that students will be judged on that day. 

The two Orchestra students selected this year were Esther Shin and Pheobe Morgan. These two worked endlessly for months on end making sure every tiny detail was perfect for the day of their lives they had both been looking forward to for years. They have both been fine-tuning every detail and nitpicking every little thing to make their audition the very best that it can be. 

Shin is a junior here at West High who was accepted into the All-State Orchestra as a freshman. Shin believes that she was more prepared this year as she knew what to expect and was much less nervous during the preparation phase until she got to the audition site. Shin’s older brother was in the All-State Orchestra in 2017-18, she seeks him as motivation. Shin has always looked up to him and sees him as a role model for her musical aspirations. 

Morgan, a freshman here at West High has been playing violin since she was five years old. All-State was a new experience for her as she had never formally auditioned before or had any experiences like this before auditioning. One of the best pieces of advice she was ever given when auditioning for All-State was that The judges always reach for the low-hanging vegetation, meaning that it’s the little, easily fixable mistakes that the judges are catching. It’s also made me more aware of what makes a good orchestral musician. 

All-State is a very prestigious honor that many high school musicians across the country can only dream of. We are very honored to have four people accepted into the 2024 Iowa All-State Festival. You can watch the Iowa All-State Festival on PBS on November 23.