The student-initiated trumpet ensemble advanced past the first round of the National Trumpet Competition. They will travel to the University of Iowa from March 19-22 to perform at the live round of auditions.
“To me, it’s such a huge accomplishment because it’s never been done before by us or any other LISD school,” senior Matthew Vanston said. “We were thinking about how a lot of other very good band schools had their own trumpet ensembles that went to NTC every year. I knew that we were good enough and had a lot of good players this year, so we decided to make an ensemble and see where it would take us.”
With the help of Dr. Kyle Koronka, a private lesson teacher, the group submitted a recording that placed in the top ten of all high school ensembles in the nation. Senior Jason Gonzales will also be competing at NTC with the ATX Trumpet Ensemble, the reigning champions, a group comprised of students from all over the Austin area.
“We came up with having a specific Vandegrift ensemble during graduation band last year,” senior Jack Cance said. “It’s a big accomplishment because for the most part, we’re all student-led. That meant it was on us to make sure we could each play our parts, plan rehearsals, and make sure we got a good take.”
After weekly PIT and some outside-of-school rehearsals, including time during Thanksgiving break, the group recorded their piece and sent it to be judged. The ensemble chose to play “Click” by David Marlatt because it had never been played before at the competition.
“I’m really happy I could just do something like this with my friends because band can get pretty isolating sometimes after marching season,” Vanston said. “Once we get out of the band hall, we all go live our separate lives. Doing this outside of the normal band schedule and having this opportunity to perform at NTC is something I’m very proud of.”
On top of multiple ensemble and soloist performances, trumpet manufacturers, publishers, record companies, and more are invited to exhibit their products at NTC. Players, professors, and teachers from across the nation are able to attend master classes, concerts, and guest artist performances.
“I’m really excited to go to NTC and see what types of things I can learn there,” sophomore Joshua Ray said. “The world’s best go there. We’re able to meet a lot of directors and professors, which will be really cool.”
The group will play in the preliminary round on one of the first days, and if the judges place them in the top three ensembles, they will advance to finals, where they will have the opportunity to win up to $1,000.
“I think no one here has created an ensemble because ATX was always the group to go to if you want to go to NTC,” Vanston said. “The fact that we’re the first school in this area to make our own group, and the fact that we advanced, makes this an even bigger deal. To carry on the legacy of Vandegrift being one of the best schools for trumpet especially, I think it’s really important to show not just Texas but the whole nation that we get things done.”
