In a swirl of passion-fueled music, nationalization rises in the hearts of the lucky students who got to participate in both the Choir and Band All-State Clinic this year.  They all gathered to sing our national anthem as their opening, anticipating the wonders that awaited them for the remainder of the event.

“You can almost feel the chills go up everyone’s spines, as well as your own,” said senior Jacob Copps.  “You never want it to end.”

Copps, who has been a part of the Band All-State Clinic for three years now, knows that All-State is worth the work.  He is not only an All-State musician, but was in the first band (the highest level of achievement) this year.

“Making first band gives me a huge feeling of accomplishment because I know that all of the hard work I put in paid off in the end and made me one of the best in state,” said Copps.

With this being his third and final year of All-State in high school, this was a particularly important year.

“It was super important to me because if you make it every year of high school, you’re awarded the Har-Ber Band Legacy Award, and it’s been my goal since the first day of high school to get that,” said Copps.

Though Copps makes it sound like getting in is a breeze, it must be noted that on average, he spends 13.75 hours a week practicing.

Sophomore Emily Potts, whose first All-State experience was this year, knows the pressures of expectations for the competition all too well.

“It was very important for me, especially since my older brother left quite the legacy in the Har-Ber band, so I feel like I have to live up to it,” said Potts.  “It’s really stressful, especially being on the track team as well.  So I have half the time to be just as good.  But I enjoy the challenge.”

Senior Jacob Reynolds, who has been a part of the Choir All-State Clinic for all three of his available years at Har-Ber felt that this year, his last as a senior, was definitely resounding.  But he feels that All-State is not just about the chair assignment, but also about spending time with and making new friends.

“The people that went on the trip are truly some of my best friends,” said Reynolds, “and getting to spend time with them is awesome.”

He feels that at the very core of the experience it isn’t all just about the competition and work, but the heart and the power of voices, instruments, and passions coming together to make soothing beautiful.

“It’s weird because every chair is all there, and at the end of the day, you get mixed up and you’re no longer in chair order,” said Reynolds.  “What it comes to at that point is that it’s not about who made a higher chair than you; it’s about making the music come to life.”