Most people must pick up an instrument in elementary school, but few go the extra mile to become something great. This year, Long Island had 300 musicians whose skill level earned them a coveted spot in the All-State Winter Conference — a testament to what well-funded music programs can do for students.
Junior and seniors are accepted into the All-State ensemble based on their NYSSMA scores — an annual evaluation for music students — from the previous spring. After practicing high-level musical literature for a semester, the students traveled to Rochester on Dec. 5 to begin a weekend of rehearsal, culminating in the Dec. 8 concert.
“If you have a handful of outstanding kids in your district, and you put them together with 100 other handfuls of the best kids in other districts, that’s what you get,” said John Gallagher, the director of music and art for Longwood School District and the director of public and media relations for NYSSMA. “And you just sit there and you say, ‘My Lord, this is just, for lack of a better word, beautiful, unbelievable.’”
The robust music programs on Long Island produced more than a third of All-State performers. It’s a testament to the success of well-funded music programs across the Island.
“It gave me a lot of perspective, hearing that many of these kids [at All-State] come from bands of 15, 20 kids with programs that don’t get recognized,” said Thomas Lasher, a senior euphoniumist from Middle County. “It made me very grateful for what I have here.”
Most of these musicians have been honing their craft since the 4th grade. All-State is the culmination of those thousands of hours spent practicing.
“It felt rewarding knowing that eight years of hard work finally paid off, and now I’m going to one of the best music performances in the state,” said Gennady Borisov, a senior trumpeter from Hauppauge. “And it was just so nice being surrounded by so many good players who were just as good as me and better.”
The elite All-State concert is a rare chance for these students to perform alongside musicians of the same caliber. The result is a chills-inducing performance that shows these students the professional-grade music they’re capable of making.
“As you’re playing it, you just feel like all your work has paid off,” said Edwin Ko, a junior alto saxophonist from Herricks. “You just have a good time on stage, and I think as you’re playing, the sounds that come out of your instrument express yourself as a whole.”
The pursuit of musical excellence is more than just a line on these students’ college resumes — it presents a brand-new medium of learning.
“I just like it because of how I feel when I play,” said Felice Chu, a junior basoonist from Manhasset. “I’m not thinking about anything else. It’s just fun, and you’re enjoying yourself as you go.”
“At a music class, you actually get to build a community, especially because it’s so focused on playing with the ensemble, so you really have to actually listen to other people,” said James Tsekouras, a senior trombonist from Manhasset.
“Music is the universal language,” said Nicholas Quan, a junior trumpeter from Herricks. “And I just think that it’s a beautiful thing — to just get together and play some music.”
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