Last week, several members of ACP-Erie’s Band and Orchestra found out some exciting news: they qualified for the Southwest Regional Orchestra and Band! Uriel Choi, Crystal Lee, and Aurelia Marsh made the Southwest Regional Orchestra, while Jinsuh Park, Evie Henry, and Joseph Kim made the Southwest Regional Band. After spending countless hours practicing their instruments each week, the students were thrilled to be selected for this honor.

To learn more about the audition process, I interviewed sophomore Jinsuh Park:

Q1: How many years have you been playing?

A1: I’ve been playing flute for five years.

Q2: What was your reaction when you found out that you had qualified for the Southwest Regional Band?

A2: I was relieved that my hard work paid off!

Q3: How did you prepare for the audition?

A3: I started practicing the piece five months before the audition. At first, I just tried to figure out the gist of what I would have to play, and then, after practicing for months, I began focusing on improving smaller details in my playing.

Q4: What were the different components of your audition? 

A4: The audition consisted of performing two major scales, the chromatic scale, and three etudes.

Q5: What is your favorite part of playing a musical instrument?

A5: My favorite part of playing an instrument is that you can express your emotions through the instrument. You can make the music piece tell a story with just the way you play.

Q6: What would you advise to someone who wants to make Regionals next year?

A6: First off, you should be interested in what you’re playing. Being interested in what you play can determine how well you perform. Second, start practicing the piece months beforehand. You can’t master the pieces in just a week; it takes months to develop these skills. Most importantly, be able to play your instrument well, and try not to get stage fright.

Congratulations to Jinsuh and the other regional qualifiers for their amazing accomplishment! We look forward to hearing about your performance in the Southwest Regional Orchestra and Band.