Auditioning against some of the best high school musicians in the region, seven students from Wilbraham & Monson Academy were selected to the Massachusetts Music Educators Association Western District.
The audition, which included hundreds of students from approximately 50 schools, was held Nov. 4 at Westfield State University.
"They did the work. They practiced," said Thad Wheeler, a WMA Fine & Performing Arts Department faculty member. "Some of them came in and coached with me, and others practiced on their own."
Western Districts includes an orchestra, concert band and chorus. Wenjun "Happy" Chang '18 and his alto sax earned a spot in the concert band, while six students were named to the chorus: Nicolas Dubois '18, Moonsu "Jackson" Kang '20, Nolan Lorenzana '20, Mo "Elizabeth" Mao '21, Phong "Justin" Ngo '18 and Jack Woodbury '19.
The seven WMA students will participate in a concert Jan. 13 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst at 3 p.m.
"The students like this because it's not a giant time commitment, which is great," Mr. Wheeler explained. "They can prepare, but it's not like being involved with something for 12 weeks.
"Auditioning for Western Districts is a challenge. They're competing against students from about 50 schools. And, if they get a certain point grade during their audition, they're eligible to audition for all-state."