Four Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students qualified for the Region II All-Region Band at auditions held Jan. 10 at Lake Hamilton High School in Pearcy.
All four ASMSA students who auditioned qualified for first band with their respective instruments. Their performances earned the students the honor to attend the Region II All-Region Band Clinic to be held Jan. 23-24 at Lake Hamilton High School. The students will play in an honor band with other regional band students at the weekend clinic.
Earning All-Region Band honors were:
• Yeongjoon Hwang, a junior from Jonesboro, the son of Yeonsang Hwang and Kyoungsuk Ahn — first band, first chair alto saxophone;
•Mary Staton, a senior from Hot Springs, the daughter of Mayumi and William Staton — first band, second chair oboe;
• Jessica Maruri, a junior from Van Buren, the daughter of Jennifer and Alfredo Maruri — first band, fourth chair flute; and
• Anna Gayle Griffiths, a junior from Alexander, daughter of Sarah and Mike Griffiths — first band, 12th chair, clarinet.
Their performances also earned the students the opportunity to audition for All-State Band on Feb. 7 at the University of Central Arkansas. Students selected for the All-State band will participate in the All-State Music Conference on Feb. 19-21 in Hot Springs.
Band Director Mary Alice Chambers said this was the first time in several years that all ASMSA students who auditioned at the region competition qualified for first band and All-State tryouts. It is not uncommon for ASMSA students to place in the top 10 for a section, she said.
Chambers said the students deserve the recognition they received because of their talent and dedication.
Chambers said ASMSA students have only two hours of formal rehearsal each week. “Contrast that with [other] public school band students [who receive] five-plus hours a week,” she said. “Also, many of the top chairs in the region take weekly private lessons. Our students take private lessons when they can fit them in — mostly on weekends — and then only sporadically.”
The Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association sponsors the All-Region and All-State band competitions.