To play at All-State is one of the most rewarding experiences that a PHS musician can have. Despite being small in number, a total of five students were able to participate in this prestigious event. 

Four members of the PHS Concert Band and one member from the PHS Concert Choir joined band instructor Mr. John Fabela and choir instructor Mrs. Rachel Schoessler at Wyoming All-State Music 2022 in Rock Springs. 

Sophomore Joe Bucher and junior Hannah Sears played trumpet along with sophomore Kik Hayano on percussion in the All-State Honor Band. Sophomore Madison Johnson played violin in the All-State Honor Orchestra, and senior Emma Bucher sang in the All-State Honor Choir.

“I’ve been playing violin since I was six,” Johnson said. “This was a really big thing for me to go and see other people who have also been doing this their whole lives and enjoy it as much as I do. Especially since we don’t have an orchestra here in Powell.”

The opportunity to play and sing in All-State is one that is earned by few. After a rigorous audition, participants waited almost a month to hear if they earned a spot.

“I didn’t take the audition as seriously as I should have last year,” Joe said. “This year I started early and worked with Mr. Fabela during intervention. As a group we worked out individual things to make [the music] the best it could be.”

A lot of practice goes into the assigned pieces for the audition, as well as the music performed at All-State itself. Music is sent out to qualifying participants to learn the basic rhythms and notes in order to go more in depth during rehearsal at All-State. 

“Everyone knew what their music was coming in,” Emma said. “We got to focus a lot more on style rather than plunking out the notes. The difference is, everyone really wants to be there. They all are here for a reason. It teaches you how to be something bigger than yourself. You work as a group rather than focusing on if you’re doing this part for yourself.”

Emma was the only member of the choir to participate in All-State this year. She has qualified for the past three years, one of which was an all virtual year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Last year, because of COVID, we didn’t really get to build the same sense of community that we did in past years,” Emma said. “We sang our parts by ourselves; to me it wasn’t really a choir. More like something to put on your resume.”

Both the band and choir students recorded their parts and sent them in rather than participating as a whole band. But students felt the same sense of learning couldn’t be achieved over a computer screen.

“[All-State] this year was a lot better than online,” Hayano said. “[The All-State directors] did the best they could but [All-State Music 2021] wasn’t very fun and it was difficult to play.”

Despite the hiccup last year, this year was better than ever. The organizers pulled out all the stops to make it an enjoyable experience.

“We got to listen to the highschool band in Rocky Mountain; they were really good,” Sears said. “There was also a jazz band made up of instructors from across the state. I knew some of them, so it was cool to watch.”

The learning and connection that All-State provides is truly a unique experience. It allows the musicians to become more comfortable and create a network to help them later in life.

“I met a lot of people,” Hayano said. “And developed a bigger support group to help me out in the future.”

Most students who went to All-State wish to pursue music throughout their lives, whether it be as a career or a hobby.

“I want to compose scores for movies and videogames in the future,”Joe said. “I plan to major in something related to that in college.”

All-State is an honor for those who attend, and the knowledge they bring back with them makes their respective music groups better. 

“My director told us something that I don’t think I’ll ever forget,” Emma said. “He said don’t wait for the person next to you to give you permission to do something awesome. That’s something I want to take with me and tell my students when I’m a teacher. After all, music makes people not robots and it should be appreciated.”