The All-State Music Festival is an annual event gathering only the best student musicians in Iowa for a live performance. It consists of band, chorus, and orchestra performances. This year, there were 276 students selected for band, 601 for chorus, and 214 for orchestra, making 1,091 students as a whole. Overall, 4,000 students auditioned this year, roughly 20 of which were from Atlantic. All-State 2024 auditions were held in the Atlantic High School on Oct 26. Five of these 20 students qualified. These students were seniors Drayce Moore, Danielle Bennett, Brady Wagner, junior Grace Mitchell and sophomore Zephyr Mitchell.

Junior Grace Mitchell hopes to make it to All-State all four years of high school. “I love all of All State but I liked being able to hang out with the other All-Staters and explore Ames,” she said. This year, Mitchell was confident during her audition which differed from her previous years when she was nervous. After auditioning, Mitchell said she was starting to “second guess” herself, but she was “relieved” when she got her results.

This year was senior Drayce Moore’s second year going to All-State.  “It was a lot of fun,” he said. “This year I wanted to do better than I did last year. That motivated me to practice a lot more.” Before auditions, Moore was nervous, but he was confident in his skills playing the clarinet.

Sophomore Zephyr Mitchell has been in choir since his 6th grade year. He’s been interested in music for many years of his life, but this year was his first year auditioning for All-State. “I thought it would be a cool experience and a good thing to have on my resume for future college opportunities,” He said. Mitchell was not confident with his audition, and was surprised and “exhilarated” to find out he had actually qualified. 

The selected students left school early on Nov 21 on a nearly 2-hour drive to Ames, Iowa. They practiced for hours on end in the Hilton Coliseum until the concert was held on Nov 23. Until then, they stayed at the Best Western Hotel. When the concert took place, thousands of people gathered to observe the band, choir, and orchestra. The students didn’t get back to Atlantic until around midnight afterwards.

Senior Danielle Bennett’s favorite part of the trip was meeting new people from other towns. “I found it very easy to talk to the people around me, and I think everyone was able to meet someone and make a lifelong connection,” she said. This year was Bennett’s first year going to All-State, however, she auditioned all three years prior. She was not confident she’d make it, but when she found out she was excited. “I remember immediately running out to my mom who was volunteering and hugging her.”

“There was a lot that I liked about the trip,” said senior Brady Wagner. “My favorite was probably the food.” Wagner had auditioned every year of her high school career, but she hadn’t made it until her senior year. “I was always beat by the same guy who graduated last year,” she said. Wagner and Z. Mitchell both recommend auditioning for All-State. “It’s okay if you don’t make it, there’s always next year… Unless you’re a senior – then there’s not,” said Wagner.