Cresskill High School musicians auditioned for the North Jersey Senior Region Band. The anticipated results came out on who’s in. Acceptees prepared for the highly prestigious All-State auditions. Both auditions require weeks, or even months, of consistent practicing in order to secure a respected spot in the band. After receiving scores and acceptances, musicians attended a few rehearsals but long in duration and high in quality, along with other top players in the region. However, this honor didn’t mean the journey was over. Region Band members got the chance to prove their skills further for the All State Band for New Jersey last Saturday. 

Musicians from Cresskill and all over New Jersey met at J.P. Stevens High School. Since they had no designated time slot, students arrived whenever they wanted and warmed up for however long they preferred. Senior Philip Om talked about his preparation for the audition as a skilled and experienced musician. “I have lessons every Monday with my saxophone teacher. I go over the music with him, he critiques me and tries to make it more detailed and better each time I practice.” He pointed out that the process isn’t so simple. In order to flourish, musicians must be adept at their instrument. Philip added, “You also have to do the prep yourself.” 

The tension grew as Saturday approached because the stakes were undeniably higher. “I think it’s more competition…like this is all the people that qualified for regions, so I felt more confident in regions…so going into all-state [is] going to be a little more extreme.” Luckily, Cresskill is home to extremely talented musicians and positive results are guaranteed. This year, Martin Kim (‘25), Philip Om (‘24), and Joshua Yoon (‘24) were accepted for the All State Band.