Four members of the Parkway Central Concert Band earned a spot in the All-Suburban group this year, securing the right to perform in the 108 member band made up of 40 high schools.
“I auditioned for the St. Louis All-Suburban Honors band for trumpet and made it,” senior trumpet player Bryan Dinman said. “I prepared the audition material every day for about six months, so when I was told by Mr. Hoover that I made it, the months of practicing seemed to pay off.”
Assistant band director Mr. Matt Beazley has repeatedly watched the process of band members being selected for All-Suburban.
“The participants prepare an audition that is set by the state and Suburban St. Louis,” Beazley said. “They go, audition, and are selected by a blind judge, which means the judge is only able to hear them and can not see them. They play scales, etudes, and then a piece for the judge.”
Band Director Mr. Doug Hoover believes those who participate in the All-Suburban band gain a distinct advantage in their playing.
“It gives them an opportunity to not only work with directors from other schools but nationally known directors and conductors as well as students from the whole suburban area,” Hoover said. “This year’s All-Suburban conductor is a guest from Oklahoma State University.”
Dinman went through this process and was able to qualify for the All-Suburban Honors band, the “first round of the All-State Honors band”, according to Beazley.
“There are four rehearsals to prepare five pieces in December and January, and then a concert,” Dinman said. “After the concert, it’s over until next year but everyone who makes it gets to try out for the All-State Honors band. The band director is a guest conductor from anywhere in the country and it changes every year.”
Along with Dinman, three other Central band members qualified for the All-Suburban band. Freshmen Daniel Kim, clarinet, and Joshua Adams, made the band, with junior Andrew Kirkham earning a spot as an alternate Saxophone player.
“I was confused, glad, and surprised that I got in [the band]. I’m not a bad player, but I was surprised as I practiced substantially less than I did last year when I didn’t get in,” Kirkham said.
Both Kirkham and Dinman spent many hours practicing after first receiving the music back in April.
“Dinman takes private lessons and works a lot with his private teacher,” Beazley said. “Kirkham has done a lot of the work on his own, with his own personal practice.”
Kirkham put off practice for a while, choosing to pick it up days before the audition.
“I practiced the audition a total of five hours, one with my private lessons teacher and four before the audition. I got the music back in April of last year, so I guess it was procrastination at its finest,” Kirkham said.
While Kirkham waited to prepare his performance until close to the audition, Kim chose to prepare for the audition much earlier.
“I practiced all summer and beginning of school year with scales, excerpts, and my solo work,” Kim said. “I practiced patiently with metronome and my private teacher helped me a lot to improve my skills.”
With the entrance of four Central students into the All-Suburban band, Hoover hopes for much improvement in the entire group.
“Making All-Suburban really improves kids. If you don’t take private lessons it outlines a lesson plan for you. When they make it, it helps set a standard within our band. That boats well for the future and raises the expectation now,” Hoover said.
Hoover said two freshman making it into All-Suburban band is a rarity.
“They’re really hungry,” Hoover said. “You can they have set some high expectations for themselves and are on their way to try and meet them. I think that the sky’s the limit for both of them.”
By making the All-Suburban band freshman year, both Kim and Adams have earned the opportunity to do “something special”, according to their directors, for the Parkway Central band.
“In four years you’ll be asking me about four year Suburban All-State kids,” Hoover said. “I think several of our four have a chance to maybe squeeze into the All-State band which would be significant.”
With the help that those who make All-Suburban provide to the band based on their raised playing, they also gain more experience in playing a different role of a larger and better band.
“In this band, they get the chance to play in a band where they are not the best in the band,” Hoover said. “It’s really kind of a personal challenge to them, but it truly makes them better and helps them in our band. Just because they are the best at Parkway Central, we think of this as a small pond and this makes the pond a lot larger.”