The Student News Site of Tompkins High School

The Nestline

The Student News Site of Tompkins High School

The Nestline

The Student News Site of Tompkins High School

The Nestline

Students Anticipate Region

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Every year Tompkins High School orchestra students begin to prepare for an audition that could change their lives. This life changing thing is called region orchestra. The region orchestra consists of students who audition at assigned schools on an assigned day.

“What’s exciting about the region process is seeing how the school has grown over the past years and the participation increase. The competition level is now higher between students,” said orchestra director Matt Porter.

Students from all over Katy ISD will audition for the TMEA region orchestra. This orchestra consists of the best students in the region. The students audition with a piece of music they have had for the past couple of months.

“I have to practice a lot, go to clinics and keep working on the music. I try to challenge my nerves by playing in front of my peers,” said sophomore Sachi Sakai.

A big part of success and getting into the region orchestra is putting in practice time and being able to calm nerves down. Without this, the judges classify the students on a lower level than they are.

“I am preparing by practicing for a few hours every day and playing in front of family members, friends and teachers in order to help my nerves. I am nervous because there is an immense amount of pressure to do well. There is a large amount of competition in the viola section,” said junior Alexis Mitrushi.

Not just the students feel the pressure and the nerves from region band auditions. Directors try to prepare their students as much as they can, but in the end can only do so much.

“All of the hard work that goes in makes me nervous for them on an individual basis, that they might make mistakes in their audition because they might be nervous. The fact that all the hard work is not always exemplified in the audition,” said Porter.

The auditions will take place Oct. 8 at Alief Kerr High School. All the hard work put into these pieces of music will be revealed and the best of the best will rise above. The most successful performers will be placed into a group of students that will later play together as a group.

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