BROOKINGS Six Brookings High School students are about to face the music in the best possible way theyve been selected for All-State Orchestra.
This is the big playoffs this is the championship game, if you will, Kathy Winghart, director of orchestras for the Brookings School District, said. It happens once a year and its the top musicians in the state of South Dakota. Its an extensive audition process. The students get all the materials in May, and they have the whole entire summer to work on them.
All-State is the highest honor for high school orchestra musicians in South Dakota. Ten Brookings students auditioned Oct. 15 in Huron six of them made the grade.
They do have a 50 question test on terms, key signatures, all that kind of musical related stuff that they also have to take in addition to the audition, Winghart said. And it is a massive amount of material that the students are expected to know for this audition. They dont know what the judge will ask them when they walk in that room to play. They have to know three octave scales, there are two etudes, they have to know three full orchestral works and from all of that material, the judge will pick certain excerpts that theyll tell them to perform when they walk in the room. So you have to be prepared for anything.
Judges select the top 150 students for All-State; the winners will perform as an ensemble at a televised concert next month in Sioux Falls.
We have one who is a four-year (winner), and hell get an award at All-State Ernest Ting, Winghart said. Then Michelle Huh has been in three years. And Aedan Lansang, thisll be his second time going, as well as Ian Coverstone and Lizzie Biever will also be their second times. And then Kerrick Zhang, its his first time attending hes a freshmen, and to make it as a freshmen is a huge deal.
She said its great to see so many Brookings students earning recognition.
We used to only have a couple that would go and would make it, but our numbers have been up the last couple years, Winghart said. It is tremendous growth. And so you know, theres been bumps and bruises just figuring it out and navigating the growth along the way, but were still thriving and doing amazing things.
The Brookings orchestra program has come a long way.
I started in 2011, and that year we had under 40 (orchestra students) in the whole district. There was no orchestra at the high school at all for three or four years prior to my arrival. The first year that I was here, I had three students that we were able to recruit in the high school, Winghart said. I was able to recruit about 88 fourth graders that first year, and it just kept growing from there. After two years of my working here, we hired (Jonathan Bakken) because it just got to be too many students for one person so it was very welcoming to have that help. And I think it was maybe four years after Mr. Bakken came, we hired the third orchestra director for the middle school. And then now we have a fourth orchestra director thats part-time at Camelot that helps Mr. Bakken. Now we have about 550 students in orchestra in the whole district.
She said that growth has translated into student success.
Your heart just swells with joy to see them growing and continuing to learn, Winghart said. Seeing them come up to the high school level and then theyre taller and still working so hard and its just like watching your own children grow. Youre so proud of them and what they accomplish.
She said she hopes people will attend or tune in for the All-State performance.
Theres a concert on that Saturday night, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Denny Sanford in Sioux Falls, Winghart said. And itll also be on television on South Dakota Public TV on that night as well.
Tickets are available through the Denny Sanford Premier Center Box Office $20 for adult and student reserved seats, $15 for adult general admission and $10 for student general admission.
Winghart said the students deserve to feel proud.
Theyre all an absolute joy to work with, she said. It makes coming to school fun every day. Just watching them grow is awesome.
Contact Jay Roe at [email protected].
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