On Saturday, December 5th, seven students from Liberty North earned an All-State honor. The students are Joe Angles, Kylah Bateman, Kala Hughes, Kaylee Kappler, Cooper Smith, Andrew Stockman, and Mitchell Sidden.

The auditions were taken place at Hickman High School in Columbia Missouri. Schools from across the state arrived at approximately 8:00 to audition for a chair or honor in the Missouri All-State Band. To qualify for the audition, all students must first earn a spot in the All-District Band, then travel to Hickman High School to go up against thousands of other players.

“I had to practice a lot. I practiced almost every night, trying to just perfect all of my music as best as possible,” senior Kylah Bateman said.

The stakes at state are much higher. Students must compete against other players who are already the most elite in their district. The ratio to those who audition and those who make the band are approximately 10:1.

“I didn’t make it, but I still got honorable mention. Although I wanted to make the actual band, I am still happy to have gotten a state honor,” senior Kaylee Kappler.

Those who made the band will travel to Tan Tara in late January to rehearse and perform a concert for parents and spectators across the state. Those who did not make the band will continue to practice in hopes to make it next year.