Students from both PA’s band and orchestra had the opportunity to travel to Richmond and participate in the All-Virginia Band and Orchestra in Richmond from April 18 to April 20.
Band teacher John Boyd explained All-VA Band is a collection of the best high school band players in the entire state of Virginia who come together and perform as an ensemble over the course of one weekend. To qualify, students participate in a blind audition where there is no scoring, but all of the students are compared based on their skills in scales and sight reading (playing a piece after only seeing it for a short period of time). Students accepted have to attend every practice on time and continue to better themselves at their position, explained Boyd.
Boyd also described he has gotten the opportunity to go to the All-VA Band most years during his 23 years here at PA. Part of Boyd’s job, he explained, is to give students audition material and make sure they are registered and have paid, along with judging the saxophones for all of Virginia. Boyd noted that the All-VA Band acceptance from PA is very off and on. He says that PA had “five years in a row that no one made [All-VA Band] but also twice we had six kids make it,” but generally, “two to three kids make it in.” This year, 13 students from PA auditioned with six of them making it in.
One student highlighted by Boyd was senior Sadie Ford, who Boyd explained out “of all [his] 23 years, she is the second to go to All-VA four times.” Ford is first chair clarinet at PA. In the band, Ford explained she helps other clarinets and usually gets the solo during performances. She has been in the Fabulous Marching Cavaliers (PA’s marching band) as a clarinet for three years and as drum major (student conductor) her fourth.
Ford described she has experienced much throughout her time in All-VA Band, as well as band overall. She was chosen as first clarinet in the entire region, first chair for All-District, and eighth in the state. Her years of experience have given her a steady increase in rank, going from lower band in freshman and sophomore years, eleventh in top band her junior year, and finally all the way to eighth in senior year.
PA orchestra teacher Alexander Kelly also had the chance to take part in the All-Virginia Orchestra. He explained that all students in the orchestra are required to have their director present and follow the strict requirements and rehearsal schedule during the three-day event. During the event, Kelly states that directors like himself “help oversee rehearsals and may be asked to help teach sectionals” and are “given opportunities to attend professional development workshops and a chance to collaborate with other directors.” Kelly has been at PA for three years and has taken a student to the event each year.
This year, senior Christina Wong was able to attend the event and was placed in Symphony Orchestra. Wong was the only student from PA’s orchestra to be taken to All-VA Orchestra and was the only pianist at the event. Kelly explains that Wong and the ensemble “did great” and performed The Chairman Dances (John Adams), D’un Matin de Printemps (Lili Boulanger), and Romeo and Juliet Suites 1 and 2 (Sergei Prokofiev).
Kelly mentioned that “the students and I work very hard to prepare” for the auditions and performances, and he is “hopeful that over the years, the PAHS Orchestra program will continue to grow in caliber as it has over the last three years.”
Boyd also expressed his feelings about the event and how they performed: he was “very proud of our kids and they worked very hard for it.” Three of the six students that got into All-VA Band were seniors, but as for the others, Boyd explained his views of the future: “there is always room for improvement and a chance to improve their chairs. All kids were exemplary, represented PA very well, and had a great experience this year,” said Boyd. “I look forward to the years to come.”
Ford shared a few memories from her journey through band and said that she will be continuing marching band after high school. She said that band was “such a great community to be a part of” and allowed her to meet a lot of great people, including her closest friends. She explained that even if a student doesn’t know how to play an instrument, it’s a place to learn many great skills. “It’s a place where like-minded people come together [and] really feed off everyone’s energy. It’s such a cool experience.”
