On Tuesday, Oct. 7 band students from all around the area will gather at Addison Trail High School at 4 p.m., to audition to be a part of the Illinois Music Education Association District Nine Senior Band.

Among these students are eight HHS band students, Taryn Boltz, Kayla Dillon, Nick Garling, Brian Gavilan, Rebekah Green, Rachelle Jacobs, Matthew Rodriguez, and Matthew Clemetsen.

Students will perform a blind audition in front of judges, where they will play a scale and a set music piece.  After they complete their auditions students exit the audition room, not knowing how they did or what the judges thought of their performance.

“It’s an opportunity for students to play with students from other schools who also did very well on the audition.” said HHS band director Nick Konwerski.

The mission of the IMEA is to promote lifelong music learning and provide leadership for music education.  According to the IMEA, with more than 3,500 members they are one of the largest affiliates of the National Association for Music Education, which has over 75,000 members.  The IMEA is also the largest fine arts education organization in Illinois, and is among the largest in the nation.

“It’s an audition they take on their own, and it’s open to everybody.” said Konwerski.

The auditions will lead into a festival in November, Both of which are completely extracurricular for students.  Any band student can audition, no matter what grade or skill level.

Konwerski also said he’s “proud of them for taking the next step.”

The IMEA District Nine Senior Traditional Festival will be held Saturday, Nov. 22 at East Aurora High School at 3 p.m., and admission will cost $5.  With a hopeful HHS presence, it will surely be a great show.