By Staff Writer: Rachel Cichon
Each year in November, Eastern Michigan University holds auditions for Honors Band, a concert held at EMU where certain high school band students receive the opportunity to play with the college band. Three seniors at Howell High School, Daniel Grigsby, Lucas Chacon and Grace Katalinich, were selected to perform in the Honors Band this upcoming January.
“I’m feeling really excited because I auditioned last year and I didn’t make it, so now that I’m a senior, it feels really good,” Chacon says.
The auditions took place on EMU’s annual Clinic Day, at which high school band students from all over come to Eastern to attend a seminar and work at mastering their instrument with help from a college professor. To attend clinic day, the student had to receive approval from their band director. Auditions were held at the beginning of the day, before the clinic began.
“Clinic day and Honors Band are almost a recruiting method, I think, to get high school students involved in Eastern’s band programs,” Chacon says.
Being accepted into Honors Band is an impressive accomplishment for the students, as it is a useful way to gauge how well they are doing on a regional level. This year, only a small handful of HHS students auditioned. Chacon, who plays the trumpet, takes lessons, and spent the two-weeks prior to the audition practicing his solo. His trumpet teacher went to Eastern and encouraged him to attend the clinic.
Contradicting Chacon’s extra practice, Grigsby felt fairly confident while preparing for his audition. “I wasn’t nervous. The professor was a nice lady. She was very chill,” he says.
In January, when the concert takes place, the students will travel on a Friday to Ypsilanti, where they will stay in a hotel and spend two days practicing at the School of Music on EMU’s campus. The concert takes place on Sunday.
“I’m looking forward to getting to spend time on campus at EMU and practice in the Alexander Music Building,” Chacon says.
Grigsby, who plays the tuba, is also looking forward to this opportunity, as he hopes to go to Eastern and study music next year.
“I’m actually really pumped, too, because I might be going to the School of Music next fall, and this gives me a chance to see how everything runs,” Grigsby says.
Chacon plans on performing in the marching band at college next year, preferably Western Michigan University, where he plans on pursuing a career in engineering. He doesn’t plan on going to school for music, but acknowledges that eventually he may have a change of heart.
“I’m not interested in going to school for music right now, but I could decide later while I’m in college. It will still be an opportunity that I have,” Chacon says. “Going to school for music anywhere is very competitive and challenging.”
Performing at this concert will give the students a clear idea of exactly how challenging college band is. This will provide a significant benefit to them before next year, as they will not be surprised by the rigorous standards and be better adjusted to the college band programs.
The three students, Chacon, Grigsby, and Katalinich, who plays the clarinet, have been participating in band since sixth grade, and are all eager and excited to participate in Honors Band. The trio will likely spend the upcoming months preparing for this extraordinary opportunity.
“Oh, yeah, I’m pumped!” Grigsby says.