The Upper School Band proudly congratulates trumpet player Will Bowerman for being selected to the District Honors Jazz Band for the second year in a row. Will successfully made it through the auditions for this event in early October and was able to represent Darlington at the District Honors Jazz Band Festival Nov. 17-18 at Heritage High School in Ringgold, Ga.
For these auditions, Will needed to memorize a page of jazz-related scales, learn a jazz etude, and sight read at the auditions. Our District 7 is one of the largest and most competitive in the state, and there are only 10 trumpet spots available. It is truly an accomplishment to earn one of these chairs. Last year, Will became the first band member from Darlington to make the high school level of this event. It is impressive to see him at this event as both a sophomore and junior.
Will is a junior day student who has been at Darlington since the third grade. He began playing trumpet in our Fourth Grade Band. Since then, Will has put extra effort into his craft by taking lessons and digging into the program. Will performed in the Middle School Jazz Band and Middle School Concert Band all three years and has been a strong contributor to our Upper School ensemble joining as a freshman. He has been a leader in the past and this year serves on the four-member “Leaders of the Band” (LoB). Will has attended Honors Band events in both Middle School and Upper School, and has gone the extra mile to play lead parts and solos.
Will did a wonderful job representing Darlington at this year’s Honors Jazz Band festival, which was an intense day and a half of rehearsing jazz music. His guest conductor, Mark Gurnow from Allatoona High School, pushed the honors Jazz Band through six pieces, which they performed on the second night of the event. Will’s group was talented, and it’s so important that leaders in our band program have the opportunity to play in higher level ensembles. Will enjoyed being part of a group that is being stretched to its upper limits. These festivals send our band students back as better leaders and players.
At Darlington, Will is part of a big trumpet section, and he often leads the sectional rehearsals for this group. I find that Will is very methodical and helpful in trying to help his fellow trumpet players finish the assignment. He is working with several younger players, and I appreciate the role model he is becoming for them. Will says his favorite forms of leadership involve listening to others and leading by example. His favorite part about being in the Darlington band program are the people and just playing trumpet.
Will has been part of many groups and activities outside of band. Some of his most significant commitments currently include the tennis team, swim team, Student Activities Committee, and he recently joined our men’s a cappella group, the Random Notes. He is also a proud and active member of Neville House, and he has also spent considerable time serving at ESP (Extra Special People). His favorite class at Darlington is AP Biology, and he has many interests in the social and natural sciences. He is currently considering college/university programs in biology, pre-med, chemistry, psychiatry, and philosophy. I have seen Will become an active member of our Upper School campus since his ninth grade year, and I love seeing band members take advantage of many different extracurricular options.
Having the opportunity to work closely with Will as his trumpet coach and band director since the fifth Grade, I have so enjoyed watching him attain these upper-level accomplishments. He took on the challenge of these auditions again and worked through many difficult moments. Will says that memorizing scales, in particular, is a hard task for him. He had to overcome some illness in the fall and even practice when he did not feel well. Will was able to take advantage of our iPeriod time in order to prepare for the audition, along with some additional free time. It is certainly a journey preparing for any audition, and I’m glad that Will was able to make it to the finish line!
I have been involved with the organizing of District auditions for a few years now, and I believe that we see less and less high school musicians go after this challenge. There is certainly risk involved because a student could put in several hours or preparation and then still not make the Honors Band and not receive the reward. This is hard for high school students today as the pressure to make the most of their time mounts higher and higher. I congratulate all of our Darlington musicians who take up the challenge of an Honors ensemble audition. It’s rewarding to watch as they push themselves to the next level simply because they want to see if they can do it. I’m thankful that we have some band members doing this, and I’m proud of Will for setting the example. In fact, Will is one of four Upper School Band members who are attempting the Honors District Concert Band/All-State auditions at East Paulding High School this coming weekend.
I’m glad that Will has made the commitment to keep music as a part of his Upper School career. I look forward to seeing and helping Will become a very strong trumpet player as he moves through his junior and senior year.
