2017 GHS Voice Issue 6

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THE VOICE

March 2017

THE VOICE TV

5 SHOP CLASSES 8 LOUDER THAN A BOMB

Double honor Nine GHS band students were selected for the Univeristy of Nebraska-Omaha Honor Band that took place Jan. 27-29. Eight of the same nine students were also selected for the Hastings Honor Band that took place Feb. 2-4. For each of the honor bands, the students had to audition for their positions in the honor band by playing a couple scales and excerpts that they spent months preparing prior to the audition. Photo by Mr. Andrew Norris

COMPETITION MAKES NEW EXPERIENCES TOP MUSICIANS PLAY WITH SEVERAL LOCAL HONOR BANDS

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BY CASSANDRA KOSTAL

hile the GHS Band students rehearse their music every day throughout the entire school year, there are always a few special occasions that allow them to rehearse all day long. Six times a year, high school band students from across the state are given the opportunity to play in a local honor band: UNO, UNL, Hastings, Wesleyan, Doane or All-State. This year, nine GHS students qualified one or more times for the four different honor bands. Requiring an audition to make it in, the honor bands provide high school instrumentalists with the ability to play at a competitive level amongst their peers. For each GHS band student who has been accepted into an honor band, they each had their own reason for auditioning. “It is a different group to play with and normally the music is harder and more interesting and it’s almost competitive a little bit to get in, so there’s that aspect of it which is kind of fun,” sophomore Kayla Martin said. “And then when you go you meet a bunch of people that you normally wouldn’t see at all. The kid I sat next to this weekend was really fun, but I normally wouldn’t have met him if I hadn’t gone.” The audition process is fairly simple: play two scales and some prepared excerpts of music. For some of the honor bands, students must then audition for their chair placement upon arriving at the event. While the audition process may seem fairly simple, the amount of preparation that goes into each audition differs for each musician, though it is always countless hours and definitely worth it in the end. “Auditioning for an honor band can take months of preparation,” senior Nathan Novak said. “Hard work and sacrifice are often needed to be awarded a spot among your peers in the ensemble. For me, it is

all about knowing those few months of hard work have paid off and I have the opportunity to perform with the best musicians in the state.” When it comes to the auditions, it is not uncommon for multiple GHS students to be selected for each honor band. With upwards of eight students sometimes being accepted into a single honor band, GHS ranks among the schools with the most students in attendance. “Some schools only have one student while others have several chosen,” band director Mr. Andrew Norris said. “I would say that we generally are in the group that has a large number chosen.” For the students who make it into the honor bands, the reward is worth all of the hard work that they put into their audition. Even then, it is not always about the work they put in, often times band students find what they take away from the experience to be the most rewarding aspect of the process. “You’re given a lot more experience in terms of technicality and also we have master classes so there’s musicality there and it just overall shapes you to be a better musician and a better person,” Martin said. “I’m kind of more social because of it because you’re forced to talk to these kids from other schools that you’ve never met before which is scary, but it’s kind of fun. You make new friends and you walk away and you see them at other stuff that you go to and it’s kind of fun then to do that.” The band directors from each school that is represented in an honor band are also keenly aware of the benefits of high school students being in an honor band. Given the opportunity to play with the peers under the guidance of experienced musicians has undeniable perks for the young musicians. “Students enjoy playing with other band students that are also serious about

playing, and it also gives them a chance to check out a school they may want to attend,” Mr. Norris said. “I hope that the students learn something from the clinician, and become stronger musicians when they return to our band.” Overall, the students are able to take away so much from being a part of the different honor bands. Whether it is musical techniques or something else, auditioning for and being accepted into an honor band can be a momentous occasion for a high school band student. “Honor bands are not always about showing off how good someone is on their particular instrument, it is about assembling a group of talented kids and

working for two days straight on difficult music to produce an amazing performance to feel proud about,” Novak said. “Yes, after those three days my face might be killing me and I miss my bed, but it is all worth it when I hear the thunderous applause from the crowd.” Four of the six honor bands took happened during the months of Jan. and Feb. with each one lasting three days. UNL was Jan. 20-22, UNO was Jan. 2729, Hastings was Feb. 2-4, and Wesleyan was Feb. 9-11. Both the Doane and AllState honor bands took place during the first semester. An honor band specifically for freshmen, Future Stars, will take place on May 6.

Honor Bands Trey Switzer (17), Troy Scheer (18), Nathan Novak

UNIVERSITY OF (17), Chloe Geise (18), Jacob Mann (18), Kayla NEBRASKA OMAHA Martin (19), Kaitlyn Horst (18), Dayton Linhardt (19) and Reilly Woodward (18);

Nathan Novak (17), Trey Switzer (17),

Nebraska Wesleyan Chloe Geise (18), Dayton Linhardt (19), University Kayla Martin (19), Jacob Mann (18) and Troy Scheer (18)

UNIVERSITY OF Dayton Linhardt (19) NEBRASKA LINCOLN Trey Switzer (17), Troy Scheer (18), Nathan Novak (17), Chloe Geise (18), HASTINGS COLLEGE Jacob Mann (18), Kayla Martin (19), Kaitlyn Horst (18) and Dayton Linhardt (19)

Top Performers For the Wesleyan Honor Band Feb. 9-11, seven GHS students were selected to play with students from all across the state. Compared to other area high schools of similar size, GHS often has greater student representation at each honor band than most other schools. For the University Nebraska-Lincoln Honor Band, however, only one student from GHS, Dayton Linhardt (19), was selected to play in the band. Photo by Mr. Andrew Norris


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2017 GHS Voice Issue 6 by GHS Media - Issuu