On Nov. 11, Cryer was ranked as the first chair tenor in the All- State Jazz Ensemble.
“What happens happens,” senior Will Cryer said, explaining the process of contests.
Out of 23 students in jazz band, 18 participated in the All Region Jazz Band Contest Sept. 15. Seven of those advanced to state which also consisted of senior Roy Hakins, juniors Joel Forbis, Maci Mitchell, Victor Mena, sophomore Nick Oberle, and freshman Everett Noel.
“It’s a big family thing,” Cryer said. “My dad didn’t do music but my mom did. She played the trumpet and my grandpa played the trombone. My brothers played the saxophone and the trumpet and I just wanted to do saxophone.”
Since his freshman year, Cryer has played tenor sax in jazz band. He also auditions for the All Region Jazz contest every year.
“Freshman and sophomore year were nerve- wracking,” Cryer said. “But junior and senior year I was kind of chill because I had already done it before and I was used to that feeling so I was kind of immune to [the nerves].
Head- band director Eric McNiel is one of the judges for the contest every year.
“It’s really unbiased,” McNiel said. “We rank their number from zero to a hundred.”
The process of participating in the All- Region contest is simple. Musicians show up, sign up for their auditioning room, practice, and then finally audition for the judges who are concealed behind a tarp.
“Basically you get the music and look over it. We even have in- school practices that help us to understand what the music is and what it’s about,” Cryer said. “And for me, what the music is about is how I play it.”
All- Region rules only allot a certain amount of time for students to begin rehearsing their musical pieces.
“They give us our music about three weeks before we have to audition so there’s not a lot of time to practice it,” Mitchell said.
The students who advanced, they will participate in a concert for Region sometime in November and usually the concert is out of town.
“Soon we’ll get the results to see which jazz band players made the All- State band,” Mitchell said
Yet despite their love for the music, neither Cryer nor Mitchell plan to work with it as their career. Instead, Cryer will attend the Marines boot camp. Once he eventually finishes his service, he intends to pursue music. Mitchell hopes to work in physical therapy
“They don’t allow saxophones into the Marine Corps band. If they did I’d be all over it,” Cryer said. “For now I’m going into aviation.”
If it weren’t for band, Cryer says he’d be involved in other extra-curriculars like football since he has never been involved with sports throughout high school.
“I would say football because at the end of high school right now I’m in the best athletic ability that I’ve ever been in because of band and training for the Marines boot camp. I’m in better shape than I’ve ever been in.”
For Mitchell, it’s a different story.
“There isn’t anything I would want to do other than band,” Mitchell said. I love it. It’s just the people in it, the directors, it’s what we do that makes it awesome.”
Although Cryer is pursuing aviation first instead of music, he encourages other musicians to keep pursuing what they love most and that in the end it’s not about winning.“It was kind of you know, what happens happens and no matter if I did or didn’t make it, I would still understand because there’s always someone better. And I know for sure that I’m not the best person in Texas. There’s always going to be someone better than me,” Cryer said. “As the years go by, what happens to everybody, if they do their part, is that it gets easier.”