On December 7th Lauren DeMeyer and Rebekah Wainscott represented Greeley West at the CSU Honor Band Festival and Concert. Both students had to prepare short pieces and scales for a few months before recording and submitting their auditions.
The annual CSU Honor Band Festival brings together the finest high school musicians in the Rocky Mountain Region, selected from hundreds of applicants throughout the western region; the three-day festival takes place at the University Center for the Arts at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Guest clinicians and conductors enhance the student’s experience, providing invaluable insight and expertise. In addition to rehearsals, students enjoy several concerts given by CSU faculty and student ensembles. The experience is capped off with a performance by the Honor Wind Symphony.
DeMeyer has been playing the french horn for seven years and is the drum major for the marching band at Greeley West. She had a lot of fun getting the opportunity to play challenging music with great musicians from around Colorado. “I enjoyed learning new perspectives and hearing about everyone’s experiences,” DeMeyer said.
Wainscott has been playing the flute for nine years and is the section leader in marching band and concert band. At this festival she was able to take master classes with professors of her instrument and attend the last concerts of the CSU bands. Wainscott mentioned, “Being a part of a band with that much sound and talent was really cool.”
DeMeyer and Wainscott both learned a lot about their instruments and are able to take that knowledge to their own bands next semester. Wainscott stated, “I learned that it really makes a difference when the fine details are played; things like articulation, volume, feeling, and intonation.”
“I was able to learn about what music will look like for me next year in college,” DeMeyer said.
Band director Keaton Michel supported Wainscott and DeMeyer through the preparation process by working in class on fundamentals, advertising these amazing opportunities, providing recording equipment and helping edit the audition submission. Keaton said, “It takes a lot of personal time, determination and effort to even be considered for these honor bands.”
Keaton hopes that his students continue to have a growth mindset and a diverse musical experience. “Every director is different and has their own “musical preferences” oftentimes there’s not a right or wrong way, but it is so fun to learn about someone else’s interpretation of the music and benefit from their strengths,” stated Keaton.
