The Clover Hill Band Program reached a major accomplishment this year when three Clover Hill band students, Maddox Bruce, Aden Kim and Brenden Rafferty, made it into the All State Band.

All State Band is the top band in the state. To get in, musicianists must compete at an audition and demonstrate their musical talent to a panel of judges. 

Students, such as senior Brenden Rafferty, prepared for and began the audition by playing a short piece of music, called an etude.

“We sight read two major scales and our chromatic scale to prepare,” Rafferty said. “The judges are usually looking for more of a professional quality within the Allstate process, so they’re looking for not only do you know your scales, but can you play them musically.”

Auditioners, such as senior Maddox Bruce, rigorously prepared for the audition. 

“I practiced every night, for the month that we had the audition piece,” said Bruce. “I got up every single morning to play my instrument, even to the chagrin of my parents and my siblings that were trying to sleep. But I got up every single morning and I warmed up. I warmed up at school when I couldn’t do that. And it made me a much better player for sure.”

The auditioners who were accepted, such as Aden Kim, were surprised to learn that they had made it into the All State band.

 “I felt really bad about the audition coming out of it,” said Kim. “I was pretty positive that I didn’t make it.”

After auditioning, Rafferty, and others accepted, received results they were thrilled about.

“I was ecstatic,” Rafferty said. “Like, I was really excited. My mom called me into a room and it was like magic. I was like, ‘oh my god,’ I was freaking out. It was awesome.”

Bruce believes that Clover Hill’s band program was a great influence on his success in All State.

“[Clover Hill] has prepared me extremely well,” Bruce said. “I go to other high schools for show choir competitions, and I definitely don’t think I would be the same player or the same person if I was at a different school. Clover Hill cultivates a band environment that makes us absolutely amazing and makes us really succeed in everything that we do.”