Harding Charter Prep band members Josh Buchanan, Gwen Herrada, Jeremiah Jacobson, Violet Parrott, Evan Reynolds, Joseph LaSala and Amoree Wagner recently performed with the Oklahoma City All City Band.

The students auditioned in November to get in. These students work together under a professional clinician for two days and performs as a band, representing student musicians of Oklahoma City. This year’s high school clinician was Dr. Erin Perez from Vanderbilt University.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for arts kids at our school to get to work with other kids from other schools in the same kind of programs. Everybody comes out of it a stronger performer because there is so much individual accountability. It just helps broadens their horizons as a musician,” said band director Kelli Taylor.

Senior trombonist Amoree Wagner said this year’s experience was a fun way to meet great people and play amazing music.

“[All City is] a way for musicians of different schools be able to come together and do something amazing in such a short amount of time,” Wagner said.

Students from Northwest Classen, Classen School of Advanced Studies, Southeast High School, Capitol Hill High School, Harding Fine Arts Academy, U.S. Grant High School and Star Spencer were all members of the group. As band programs in the Oklahoma City school district grow, so does the All City Band.

“The rehearsals went well; the students were attentive, the music they played was challenging and they put on a really good performance. In the last five years since we’ve started doing All City, it’s been getting better every year,” Taylor said.