Approaching the spring months means district and state contests and competitions for students competing in choir, orchestra and band.

Orchestra and band students performed at district solo and ensemble contest on Feb. 24 at Putnam City West High School, earning notable rankings and advancing to state.

Seniors Gregory Thompson, Kyra Roosa, Ariani Fife, Chase Leach, Gabrielle Jones, Jordan McFadden, Wendy Liu, Khiem Ngo, juniors Violet Parrot and Lilia Herrera, sophomores Fatima Jamie, Jackson Burnette, Victor Nguyen and freshmen Nathan Carr, Leah White and Deepika Sitaraman qualified in solo and group events.

“I’ve gone to contest all four years and received ones. It was fun to go this time because I got to play my quartet with my partners Gabrielle, Jordan and Wendy,” Ngo said.

The choir did not let the snow and ice bring them down as they traveled to Western Heights on Feb. 20 for their distract contest. They earned a Superior rating on their performance, which is the highest score possible. This ranking qualifies them to compete at state and will compete again in April. They are under the direction of De’Ericka Givings.

“We were nervous, excited and anxious all the same time. My favorite part of the contest was when we found out we were going to state because we were not expecting to get a one,” said junior Shanece Wilson. “We were all in a group huddle and started jumping around. It was really exciting.”

The band performed at district band contest on Mar. 1. at Edmond Santa Fe High School. They did not attend contest last year, so director Kelli Taylor took a relaxed approach. The group received a Good rating for their performance on stage.

“They started together, they ended together, and they stuck together through their performance,” Taylor said. “They were nervous, but we can fix that for next year.”

The band orchestra will host a solo and ensemble chamber music showcase on Mar. 9 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.