Just before Thanksgiving break after practicing non-stop for months, senior Garrett Matthews placed in the All-State Orchestra on bass his second year in a row.

“I was really excited,” Matthews said. “In February I’ll be going to San Antonio to a convention. [I’ll be] practicing and rehearsing and then performing.”

Matthews had to make All-Region Orchestra in order to have the possibility of making All-State. Five judges rank the students based on their playing. Two other students along with Matthews made the All-Region Symphony Orchestra and five students made the All-Region Philharmonic Orchestra.

“Depending on how we rank [the students] they average it all out and then that’s how they pick the group,”orchestra teacher Kevin Sluder said. “Then the people who make all region – let’s say it’s like 16 cellos, 16 violas, 36 violins and a handful of basses – will all meet in December over a weekend to work with a special conductor.”

This year Lewisville ISD students competed with Denton and Northwest ISD’s instead of Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Frisco ISD’s.Sluder said this didn’t make this year any easier than previous years though.

Students had to practice for hours while keeping on top of schoolwork and other responsibilities.

“I had school, work and everything,” junior philharmonic orchestra member Jennica Cho said. “I was pretty busy practicing for two weeks.”

Even though some were nervous because of the new competition from competing against different districts, they felt pretty good walking out of the audition room.

“Well at first it was pretty intimidating, but then after people played before me it wasn’t at all because it sounded like they were not prepared at all,” senior philharmonic orchestra member Sydney Fairchild said. “It was like they barely even knew the music; I felt better cause I actually knew the music.”