Six amazing Wilsonville band students were given the opportunity to go to Washington to perform in an honors band. This is incredible for people who are in the school band and strive to be musicians.

WIBC stands for Western International Band Clinic, an honor band for high school students. This event occurred at SeaTac in Washington from November 17 through the 20th. 

Going back to the beginning, for such a prestigious band, the audition process is a tough one. Aasha Patel, one of the musicians from our school who got in, gives some insight into what the audition process looks like. 

You are given two pieces of music you can choose to audition with, but set A is notoriously harder than set B. Aasha recorded her audition and sent it in.  The audition review is rigorous, but Aasha was fortunate to be put into an ensemble. 

Getting to play in WIBC is extremely incredible and a dream come true for most musicians. Avani Patel is the only freshman in our band who got into WIBC, which makes the honor even more impressive. “I auditioned for something, and I got in, and it was a cool experience,” Patel says, a complete dream for any freshman.

Caleb Green is a senior who also went on the trip and has been a part of WIBC for three years now!

“

Being a senior, this time it felt less about the personal accomplishment and more about the joy of getting to play with the other musicians

— Caleb Green

It’s a great accomplishment, but it is still, of course, all about the music and getting to play.

These six musicians spent days together in Seattle, Washington. There is so much about the trip that isn’t only just about playing and the band. Avani found the bus ride to be really fun and chaotic.

Aasha also enjoyed just being able to hang out with the other students on the trip and getting to work with amazing composers like Frank Detcheli. “It’s really cool to work with the person who actually wrote your piece,” Aasha comments.

One of the greatest opportunities that comes with being in WIBC is the opportunity to work with famous musicians and composers. 

Caleb Green explains“The special thing about WIBC is, if you compare it to something like basketball, you see those guys on TV like Micheal Jordan and Lebron, but the chances of getting to meet and hang out with those guys are slim. But at WIBC, the music world is so small and niche you get to go and meet and play with the Micheal Jordans of composers.”

If you are interested in music, this is the ultimate experience. You get to meet so many other people who really care about music in the same way you do. It’s a community of sorts, you can make lifelong friends at honor bands. 

The Western International Band Clinic is an amazing event.  Six incredible musicians from our school were honored to be selected and had the best time.