A week ago, Aika Takahashi and Lynsey Soule were among those participating in West Virginia All-State Band auditions at Fairmont State University.

 

This week, the BHS senior band members look forward to performing with the All-State Band at the West Virginia Music Educators Conference in Charleston.

 

For the second consecutive year, Takahashi and Soule were selected for the coveted honor. Takahashi was chosen fourth chair alto saxophone and Soule nabbed first chair, oboe. 

 

Being part of the All-State Band during their senior year at BHS is something the young musicians have strived for and worked towards for years – and have been preparing for some time.

 

“The preparation for All-State begins months in advance to the audition,” said Soule about the Jan. 9-10 auditions at FSU.  “We have to learn two etudes, scales and pick a solo of our choice. I picked ‘Concerto in C Minor’ by Marcello.”

 

Soule, who is also a member of National Honor Society and treasurer of the BHS Key Club, said being part of band has been very important to her.

 

“Band has helped me meet my best friends and has shaped me into the person I am today,” she said. “Other than oboe, I play classical guitar and clarinet. In the future, I would like to get a minor in music and hopefully continue to play oboe for the rest of my life.”

Soule has auditioned for All-State all four years of high school, but only earned chairs her junior and senior years. Last year, she was first chair in the All-State Orchestra. This year, the honor is especially important to her.

 

“The first two years I tried out, I was last on the list,” she said. “After two consecutive failures, I almost gave up, but I found an excellent private teacher, Jeff Schaffer, that got me back on track and pushed me to get better.  Getting All-State shows me how much my hard work has paid off.”

 

Takahashi is also involved with both BHS Key Club and National Honor Society. She said being part of the band under the direction of Chris Hayslette, is her favorite thing about Bridgeport High School. She’s been playing the alto saxophone since the fourth grade, but also plays tenor sax and piano and dabbles in ukulele and guitar.

 

“Music has had a great impact on my life and has gotten me through so much,” she said. “I plan on pursuing music in my future. I plan to go to Marshall University and major in jazz studies and music education.”

 

Takahashi explained the All-State audition process, which she said was ‘a little nerve-wracking.’

 

“You’re in this room with the judge, but all you can see is a board that is keeping them hidden, so the audition remains anonymous,” she said. “The audition requirements were scales and two etudes from a book called ‘48 Famous Studies for Oboe and Saxophone’ by W. Ferling. The students who auditioned were also required to play a solo of their choice and play the selection picked by the judges for their sight reading score.”

She said she is honored to be one of four alto saxophone players selected during her junior and senior years.  

 

It’s an achievement she’s been aiming for since she was in the sixth grade, taking lessons with Phil Wyatt.

 

“He asked me if making All-State Band is something I will work towards and I told him yes. I have worked with him for six years now and it has paid off,” she said.

 

The honor is not only important to her now, but gives her hope for her future.

 

“I have always worked hard to accomplish things with music and it makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something,” she said. “The students who make All-State Band are ranked the top players in the state. It feels great knowing that all my practicing has paid off, but I can't forget all the encouragement I have gotten from so many.”

 

Learn more about the West Virginia Music Educators Conference here: http://wvmea.tripod.com/index.htm

 

Editor's Note: Pictured from top are Soule and Takahashi.