Grove Band Students Make States

Congratulations to, seniors, Alyssa Confino and Mason Vetter on making it into the PMEA All-State band ensemble! PMEA All-States is an annual festival for auditioned and selected performers who surpass district and region bands in Pennsylvania. This band (and other PMEA ensembles) is highly competitive, especially for flute and trumpet players, like Alyssa and Mason. PMEA has hundreds of students audition for their selective ensembles.  Alyssa stated they take the top two instrumentalists from districts to move onto regions, then the top two from regions to move into states. According to both Pottsgrove auditionees, they had about six auditions/reauditions. Pottsgrove’s band director, Ms. Zerefos exclaimed “Alyssa and Mason did a fantastic job! It’s wonderful to see them make it up to the state band after all of their hard work! Flute and trumpet spots are very cut-throat, so it’s a big deal the two of them made it. I am proud to see two students make it up to states, especially since we are one of the smaller schools eligible!” This year, All-State ensemble events were held at Kalahari Resort in the Poconos from April 6-9. This trip and location of states enable students to rehearse and perform in close vicinity and celebrate their accomplishments at the waterpark resort! PMEA makes their All-State festival a trip to remember! As much as the waterpark was a benefit of auditioning and getting into this band, it was the music and experience that made playing worth-wild! Alyssa Confino (senior, flute) commented, “The experience was incredible! I had the privilege of performing with some of the state’s greatest student instrumentalists, and I felt as comfortable performing with them as I do with Pottsgrove’s band. I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people and create beautiful music with them”. Mason Vetter (senior, trumpet) added, “My favorite pieces had to have been Hymn to the Sun or Of Our New Days Begun. My favorite memory was being able to play with such talented musicians, playing such fun pieces. The water park was pretty cool too! States was important to me because I finally proved to myself that I could make it. I didn’t make districts the previous years, so to make it all the way to states my senior year showed how all my hard work paid off!” Yes indeed, these two talented musicians put blood, sweat, and tears into their playing. Their time and effort was well worth the amount of joy and experience they obtained through this amazing program! The Pottsgrove music department and community is beyond proud! Congratulations Alyssa and Mason! Good luck on your future endeavors!