It’s crunch in the school music world! State Solo and Ensemble, a competition for music students, is this Saturday. At Solo and Ensemble, students are given a solo (or ensemble piece) and they have to practice and perfect it before the festival. At the festival, they must perform it in front of a judge, who will critique it based on a rubric. If they get a good enough score, they’ll go to State.

I played a Class A solo (the hardest type of solo) and went to State for it. Not to brag or anything. So many other people played Class A’s and went to State as well! The state contest is Saturday, April 30th, which also happens to land on the same day as Prom. That’s definitely going to be interesting. But at least I won’t be bored!

Sometimes people don’t understand how tough it is to take part in Solo and Ensemble. It’s kind of like participating in a sport because it takes a lot of commitment. It could take months to get a piece judge-ready. Not to mention that you also have to perform in front of a judge and whoever wants to watch you, which is nerve-wracking in itself.

Solo and Ensemble is also very much a social event. Everyone piles on a bus at 7 AM to go to whatever school the festival is being held, and we all hang around the school all day, watching each other’s events. In my case, I rode the bus with everyone, but my solo wasn’t until 2 PM. I just chilled all day and watched as many of my friends’ events as I could, occasionally practicing my solo in the band room.

Finally, it was my turn to perform my solo. It felt like I walked into the room, passed out, and suddenly my judge was talking about my performance. I remember he said that he was impressed with my solo. He also mentioned the fact that I missed a lot of the higher notes near the beginning, which I was very much aware of. Can’t please everyone, I guess. But honestly shout out to my judge. I think your name was Jeremy or something. Thank you for giving me a good score on my solo, and I appreciate you!

So what’s next for me? (I can’t believe I just said “what’s next for me.” I’m not a celebrity. My day-to-day affairs aren’t important.) Today, April 26, some of the students who are going to State are going to perform at the Opera House. It’s free, and you can arrive there at 7 PM. It would be a great opportunity to support me and my friends before State. (And hopefully, boost our egos.) The high school pep band will also be playing for some of the elementary students this Thursday. So that’s what we’ll be up to! Very productive times for the music kids.