The Greene County High School Music Department is preparing for a chance to qualify for a prestigious event.

The Iowa High School Music Association All-State audition is Saturday and Greene County is sending one instrumental and ten vocal students to Atlantic. Vocal Director David Heupel talks about their process for getting ready to audition for all-state starts when the music selections are released this past May and he has students participate in camps and clinics to refine their skills.

“But the biggest thing is, is the process. Some people make it (to all-state) and some people don’t. But this three month process that they go through, I like to call it is a talent time capsule. The amount they improve over these three months is just phenomenal. Then I get to see it and take advantage of that all year long.”  

Heupel calls this group of ten students as his “experienced group” because eight of the ten that are auditioning have auditioned before and four are returning all-starters from last year, including Olivia Hoyt, Ava Schilling, Gavin VanderLinden and Brianna Blasnitz. 

Band Director Wes Anderson says high school junior Bill Wright will be auditioning as a percussionist, which he argues is the single hardest part to audition in instrumental all-state. 

Olivia Hoyt

Ava Schilling

Gavin Vander Linden

Rasmus Villebro

Grace Hardaway

Daniele Madsen

Parker Lehman

Hailey Carman

Brianna Blasnitz

Lucy Vander Linden