Tucker Phillips

Select Powell High School choir and band students are in the midst of a busy two weeks. Six band and orchestra students and six choir students braved the cold Sunday-Tuesday to participate in All State Music in Casper. Beginning Jan. 24, five students will be traveling to Spokane, Washington, where they will perform with the best high school choir students in the Northwestern region. 

Students Kik Hayano, Austin Sears, Amiya Love, Jenessa Polson, Danica Mason, Madison Johnson, Joe Bucher, Julian Frost, Levi Hawley, Tucker Phillips, Breckin Streeter and Jon Hawley will be representing Powell High School at All-State. Powell will be represented at All Northwest by Bucher,  Levi and Jon Hawley, Streeter and Geo Dilworth.

Students look forward to All-State

Of the 12 students going to All-State, six students are going for their first time and Love is going for her first time in person. Due to COVID-19 restrictions it was held virtually her first year.

“So I’m really excited to actually get the experience to go see other people instead of on a computer screen,” Love said.

Polson echoed Love’s excitement to interact with new people at the event and experience the statewide collaboration of students.

“I think that’s not something that happens very often,” she said. 

Jon is excited to hear top performers for both choir and band.

“It’ll be a high quality sound that we’re going to be hearing, and it’ll also be fun to hear the concert and the band perform … it’ll be nice to have a really polished performance,” he said.

Fellow newcomer Mason is excited to perform with a large violin section as it’s something she’s never done before. Johnson, the band’s only other violin player, said last year there were about 45 violinists in total split in two sections.

Bucher, a returning All-State vocalist, said you learn a lot the first time you perform. This year he isn’t worried as much, he wants to “live the experience as it comes.”

“We don’t get to do this kind of stuff a lot, this is the only time we ever really do much. It’s the big thing for musicians,” Bucher said. 

After All-State, five choir students will travel to the Evergreen State to perform with the best of the best. 

Singing in the Evergreen State

“I just love the opportunity to be able to sing with other people of high caliber when it comes to music, and the more opportunities that I can get the more that I’m wanting to go and be excited for that,” Levi said.

Jon is similarly excited to be part of the performances particularly the men’s choir where there will be full bass and tenor which he likes.

Dilworth will be going as the only female tenor, which she thinks is cool. She also said that all the students going are very “music driven.” Dilworth has been practicing by herself over Christmas break, and after returning to school on Jan. 8 she has been working on her music every day during an open period at school. 

Outside of music, both Bucher and Streeter are excited to go for personal reasons. Bucher’s grandmother used to drive truck in the Washington area and had told him about Dickies, a popular diner in the area. Bucher’s older sister also attended All-Northwest and had previously been to the diner. This year’s group plans on doing the same. 

Streeter is excited to visit family in the area he has never met. His family here in Powell will also be coming to support him in his performances and take part in the family reunion.

“My parents are gonna go up there and most of my grandparents are all gonna be up there,” Streeter said. “I’m just happy to have that support from my family.”