Every year, middle and high school students from the entire state compete for a select few spots in the All-State bands and orchestras.

This year, Chamblee Charter High School sent 12 students to Athens, Georgia to participate from Thursday, March 1 through Saturday, March 3.

Divided among two bands, one string orchestra, and one symphony orchestra, the students rehearsed in the Athens Classic Center and had concerts all day on Saturday in the Classic Center Auditorium.

Before being allowed to participate in this musical weekend, students must compete in a two-tiered audition process.

Sophomore Brendan Bassett auditioned on bassoon.

“You have to learn certain major scales,” said Bassett. “I only had to learn the first eight because I’m a sophomore. And there are two prepared etudes to learn. After the first round, if you score a certain score or higher you can move on to the second and then if you’re one of the top number of musicians for your instrument you go to All-State.”

The weekend in Athens is spent in rehearsals and around downtown Athens.

“It’s a lot of walking around, a little bit of doing homework, and a whole lot of playing my instrument,” said Bassett.

For junior and violinist Joyce Yun, the rehearsals are fun, but the social aspect of All-State can be just as satisfying.

“The best part about All-State is the breaks,” said Yun. “We get one to two hour breaks for lunch and dinner and I went out to eat with different friends I got to see. Some of the people at All-State I see are those that are apart of EYSO [Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra] and such.”

The main focus of the weekend, however is on the music. After all, that is what these students auditioned to be allowed to do.

“The music was alright,” said Bassett, “but there was this one piece called “Where Lark or Eagle Never Fly” and it was one of the best band pieces I’ve ever played.”

Sarah Williams, junior and oboist, also enjoyed the music she got the chance to play.

“I played a program that was so good that I’ll probably never play a program like that again,” said Williams. “The emotion that I felt while playing this year was something that I’d never felt before.”

Some people used All-State as an opportunity to share their love of music with the rest of the world.

“Some members of AYWS [Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony] gathered on the corner of College Avenue and Broad Street and they were all just playing on the street while people were walking around,” said Williams. “Apparently it was for charity, which I think is really cool because people are at All-State because they love music and when they’re playing for the ‘greater good’, I think it’s really awesome.”

Individual musicians also provided entertainment to the masses.

“This guy named Chris Wang was in my orchestra,” said Yun, “and near rehearsals there is this really huge escalator that is like a 20 second ride or so. And after rehearsal the first night, he was in front of me, and he took out his huge Bluetooth speaker and immediately played Fergie’s national anthem at full volume at 9 p.m.. I died laughing.”

The most unexpected occurrence of the weekend was the theft of half of a clarinet belonging to a middle-schooler.

“It’s a shame because they tell you you can leave instruments in the room and they should be safe,” said Bassett. “I also don’t know who would want to steal half a clarinet.”

News of the theft spread to the orchestras as well.

“They made everyone in that same room take their instruments everywhere,” said Yun. “Some people in orchestras were scared and were like ‘Aaaaaah I gotta carry my cello! They’re going to take it.’ It was amusing.”

Whether they spend it enjoying rehearsals or enjoying breaks, the experience of All-State is one that makes an impact on young musicians.

“This year, I realized how close I am to people in the music world,” said Williams. “It makes me realize how intimate of a community music is and reminds me why this is what I want to do with my life.”