After a successful journey of participating with their teams, the choir, orchestra, and band are all on their way to their district festivals! Every student has worked extremely hard to get the opportunity to play and qualify for state. However, this opportunity comes with a lot of preparation to secure a well-thought-out performance.
Good preparation consists of practicing and setting yourself up for success long term. That is why the students of Wilsonville all have different ways that they prepare for districts, to help their teams.
Junior Gracelyn Julison, a band student, says, “The hardest part before NWOC is always getting over nerves and becoming more confident in my planning. While practicing I can play well and then I get put in front of an audience and I freeze or try and play super quiet which makes me mess up. Over time I’ve learned that the better I know my music the better this gets. If I’m comfortable with my part I can stay calm in front of an audience.”
Districts work differently for all three sections of the musical arts, orchestra, band, and choir. All districts and state music festivals are a part of OSAA, but Choir and Band districts are under 5A NWOC. The choir NWOC festival is on April 16th and the Band NWOC festival is either April 10th or 17th.
Orchestra programs work differently because they are split into ‘Special Districts’ known as SD5. The Orchestra Festival is on April 10th, with students from schools like West Linn, Tualatin, and Milwaukie. Additionally, if the teams qualify for State, that competition is in May.
The OSAA Band/Orchestra handbook explains that both the OSAA League and Special District contests participate in their invitational contests for an opportunity to be evaluated against a standard of excellence. These district and invitational competitions also provide an opportunity to qualify for the Band/Orchestra State Championships.
Additionally, these contests and festivals required before districts are designed to be an educational activity that provides groups with an independently written critique of their performance’s strengths and weaknesses. This way they can prepare for 5A NWOC and SD-5 in regards to the critiques they get beforehand.
Sophomore Mia Rucker, a choir student, says, “We memorized specific parts of songs to remember for the performance. We also worked on those parts frequently, which helped us build confidence.”
The district and State Festivals have a high demand for requirements like their performance order, time limits, and required literature(the piece they decide to play or sing). All of these requirements need high levels of preparation from each student and their instructor/teacher.
For example, their practice techniques, time management, and stress management. These are important skills to prepare for because they break down difficult sections of music, plan practice schedules, and help deal with performance anxiety by staying calm under pressure.
Junior Sophia Culp, an orchestra student, shares how she prepares for an upcoming performance while balancing other activities, and her personal life. She says,
“You have to learn your part on your own before putting it with the whole group, so it’s a lot of practicing whenever you can. In the weeks leading up to it, I took every free moment to practice. At life class study hall, lunch, and before rehearsal. When you practice a difficult set, repetition and isolating difficult parts are the most important things to do.”
All three of these sections of performers continue to build team spirit as they continue to work alongside each other. Team spirit is an essential part of preparing for any district competition, as it helps build cohesion, morale, and a positive group dynamic. That is why the band, orchestra, and choir teams continue to construct a positive group dynamic in preparation for districts. Be sure to explore one of the shows to hear musical masterpieces generated by such a talented group of students.