The light hum of the bus engine was the only sound filling the air for band students as they sat in realization. For junior Esai Alvear Moreno, the trip to Sealy High School, although nearing an hour in length, was filled with consistent anticipation.
“It was a quiet bus ride because everyone knew what they were getting themselves into,” Moreno said.
“We had a delay of an hour…we left Kerr at 1 p.m. and the auditions started at 2 p.m. So [Nikola Nikolovski] sent a message…saying we’re not gonna have any time to warm up and practice, we have to go straight to our audition rooms,” Moreno said.
Upon arrival, the band students rushed into their holding rooms and waited to be called into their competition rooms. Five students were selected at a time and they lined up outside the audition room, patiently waiting to be called.
“I knew I had what it took, I just didn’t know if I could do it there,” Moreno said.
Band students start practicing their music the summer before school starts. They receive multiple sheets of music and rehearse into half of the school year. So for them, it’s not really a matter of knowing the notes, but remaining calm to maintain perfection. The results of the competition is truly a reflection of their hard work before the year even started. And Moreno did do it there, because on that same day, he and 11 other band students found out that they advanced to the Area competition in January.
“They play against all the other people from the regions of Texas,” Moreno said. They will take a four drive to Waco, Texas and face the competition of hundreds of students.
But the audition season continued promptly on November 13 with the Alief ISD Honor Band tryouts. Kids from Hastings, Elsik, Taylor, and Kerr gathered in the Hastings band room to participate. Students arrived on their own at 4:15 pm and left around 8 pm in the evening. Upon arrival, they spent about an hour warming up and conversing with other students. When time came to perform, each student was assigned a letter to represent their order of being called into the competition room.
“You can’t see the judges..to show no bias,” sophomore Francess Nneji said.
The panel of judges is made up of band instructors from across the district, who have taught at the middle and high school levels—so the possibility of previous acquaintance is extremely high. When students enter the competition room, they are set behind privacy screens that prevent each party from viewing each other.
“We played three different instruments, which were the timpani, the snare drum and the mallets,” Nneji said. As a member of the percussion section, Nneji plays more than three instruments but will only play one when it comes time to perform for the honor band. Moreno, Nneji and 21 other students from Kerr will attend a final practice at Taylor High School. Then, the Alief honor band will conclude with their concert in early December.
