How do we compare the talent of districts for different sports and the prestige of districts for music? PMEA Districts (Pennsylvania Music Education Association) is often overlooked by the general public, while focusing on the same level of talent and achievement in sports.
PMEA Districts are annual preliminary auditions, typically held on one of the first 4 days of December, which challenges students to prove their musicianship abilities through the performance of a solo piece, memorization of 10 scales, and pressured skills like sight reading.
“In addition to the estimated 350 million fans who attend high school games annually, the NFHS has added opportunities for millions of others to watch high school sports through the streaming of more than 100,000 events last year,” said Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff of NFHS.org.
Essentially, a respective 350+ million people will attend, watch, or follow high school sports. However, when paying attention to a stereotypically (and statistically) more unpopular activity and its corresponding attendance, would there be a big change?
Analyzing nearby high schools, after attending concerts and other band-related events, a group of students found that less than half, of any given performance, of the capacity was utilized. However, to shine some light on the SVHS students, refer to the following statistics.
- In 2023, 8 students auditioned for district band, though results are not available yet
- In 2022, 7 students auditioned for district band, 1 succeeded:
- Rachel Myers (11)- Districts Band
- In 2021, 8 students auditioned for district band, 3 succeeded:
- Isabelle Zellers (10) – Districts Band and Regions
- Nicholas Brogle (12) – Districts Band, Districts Orchestra, Regions Band, Regions Orchestra, All-State, Northeast Region Orchestra
- Caitlyn Esch (12) – Districts Band, Districts Orchestra, Regions Band, Regions Orchestra, All-State
- In 2019, 14 students auditioned for districts band, 5 succeeded:
- Keith Kreschollek (11)
- Evan Honsel (12)
- Martina Fedorowicz (11)
- Nicholas Brogle (10)
- Erica Harvey (12)
PMEA Districts is a very large part in many lives of secondary school student musicians; it may offer a scholarship starting at $5,000, it grants a title of prestige, it proves dedication to a subject, it is sustenance on a resume.
The soonest performance for district band will be on January 11th, held at Township Senior High school. Any information is available on https://www.pmeadistrict10.org , regarding auditions, performances, scholarships, and accepted students.
