It takes strength and passion to be accepted into one of the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association’s All-State bands. Two determined Wildcats made their mark in our school’s musical history by being accepted.
Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) forms five ensembles that consist of a Middle School String Orchestra, a Middle School Band, a High School Full Orchestra, a High School Band and a High School Jazz Ensemble. Ensembles are formed from recorded auditions that are submitted by students all over the state. The recorded auditions include sight reading and performing a series of scales. Senior Noah Prince earned the bass spot in the jazz band. Junior Lilly Childers earned a clarinet spot in the high school band. Both had the honor to perform with their elite bands on January 22, 2023.
Bassist Noah Prince auditioned and earned first place. This means he was the best bassist in Michigan to apply and thus became the base player for the All-State Jazz Band.
Surprisingly, he is pretty new to playing the bass. Bored during the Covid-19 pandemic, Prince sought out new hobbies.
“I play upright bass,” Prince said. “I chose this instrument because I really got into jazz over quarantine and I needed to learn a [jazz] instrument to be able to join jazz band.”
His positive experience in Northview’s jazz band prompted him to audition for the All-State Jazz band and he’s proud of his acceptance into the band.
“Getting to be the only bassist in the All-State Jazz Band means a lot to me,” Prince said. “It shows the work I’ve put in, despite there being a pandemic that drastically limited playing and practice efficiency.”
With all the effort put in, Prince has high hopes that performing music will stay close to his side after high school.
“One of the benefits of being in the All-State Jazz Band is scholarships to various music schools,” Prince said. “Also, it’s a privilege to play with the best high school jazz band in the state,” Prince said.
Junior clarinetist Lilly Childers earned a clarinetist spot in the All-State High School Band. Childers is very dedicated to performing music and this accomplishment is not a new experience for her. Childers is an All-State band veteran.
“It’s a great honor, this is my third time getting [into All-State High School Band], everybody knows me as someone who gets in,” Childers said. “Every year it’s something I push for.”
Being accepted into one of the All-State bands is not the best part of the experience. After practicing and performing, is when the real fun begins.
“We got our music, so [students can] practice them at home and on January 19th and 20th we have rehearsals all day, downtown at the DeVos Place,” Childers said. “On [the next] Saturday morning we then have our performance and we get to perform in DeVos [Performance] Hall, which is a gorgeous venue.”
Gregory Wells has been teaching band classes for the past 22 years and has been lucky enough to have the pleasure of teaching both Prince and Childers. Each year, Wells considers how much pressure students experience when auditioning for any of the All-State Bands.
“Earning a spot in the All-State is a huge honor and incredibly difficult to do,” Wells said. “[Students] are rated blindly by [judges] against the best musicians in the entire state. [There’s] No regionals, no conferences, no school size divisions, just thousands of students auditioning in the same pot.”
Wells is impressed each time a Northview musician earns acceptance into an All-State band. It’s the equivalent of making it to the state finals in a team sport or winning a state title in an individual sport. Only outstanding high school musicians make the cut.
“It’s an incredible experience that the vast majority of students will never get the chance to participate,” Wells said.
Musicians like Childers and Prince have surely inspired Northview’s band students to take a chance at one of the All-State Bands and apply. Next year, one can foresee more students making the cut.
