Students that take part in band might have heard or auditioned for All City before, and after months of practicing, the Oklahoma All City Band finally took place at NW Classen on Jan 27.  

High schools all over Oklahoma City such as Classen SAS, NW Classen, U.S. Grant, Santa Fe, John Marshal, and Harding Charter Preparatory participated in All City spent their day practicing challenging music. 

“I really liked the director and the pieces he picked,” said sophomore Noel Mercer. 

Students worked with Professor Ryan Meeks from UCO on three pieces of music: “Choose Joy” by Randall Standridge, “Air for Band” by Frank Arrison, and “Danse Carnivale” by Randall Standridge.  

“It is a rather busy schedule, and it will leave you tired and pretty beat up afterwards,” said junior Alexander Kravtsov. 

The pieces of music were practiced all day until the students performed the following evening, leaving some of the participants exhausted.  

“It’s a pretty neat experience where we get to hang out all day and learn to play some fun music,” Kravtsov said. 

There were 45 students who participated in All City this year, being one of the smallest groups and allowed for more students to have the opportunity to hang out and meet new people.  

“It was fun and challenging,” said freshman Angel Lopez. “You have to learn how to cooperate with the band and you get to hear all the parts combined. Really fun experience overall.” 

Overall, the students enjoyed the challenging experience that they auditioned for.  

“In my opinion this performance was one of the best I’ve heard in years, despite how small the band was,” said HCP Band and Orchestra Director Kelli Taylor.