She sits alone for hours on end in an enclosed soundproof box, blowing into the same piece of metal, and playing the same musical composition over and over again until it’s absolutely perfect. Her natural musical talent combined with her dedication to practice and understanding of music has helped her achieve her recent musical accomplishments.
Timber Creeks very own euphonium player, junior Jayne Margason, performed in the incredibly elite Symphonic All State band on Feb. 17 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center located in San Antonio.
“It’s a really huge honor being able to play with some of the best musicians in the State and having this kind of exposure to different kinds of music,” Margason said.
Making State is something that few band students can claim to possess. Starting at the Region level, the top two euphonium players move on to Area, and then the top two from each Area make State–only 16 players are admitted to the All State band, and Margason was given ninth chair.
“I’m hoping that my musical experience and accomplishments this year will earn me some scholarship money when applying to colleges,” Margason said. “Next year, I hope to become a better musician overall and have more cool experiences like making All State again and maybe entering some other solo competitions outside of UIL.”
Starting from the young age of 11 or 12 in the sixth grade, students begin the life of band, choosing their instruments on a selective night in fifth grade. The children would go around to each instrument booth and try one out, exploring the different sounds. They would then get scored on how well they performed on each instrument, narrowing down the list of possibilities.
“I actually had my heart set on playing French Horn, but when I went to sign up, all the slots were full, so I decided to go with my next choice which was euphonium,” Margason explained.
Luckily for her, she made the right choice as her love and dedication for the euphonium would take her to the top.
Euphoniums are unique in the way that they don’t fit just one image. They look like a tuba but are smaller and have an entirely different sound. Often overlooked, they don’t frequently have the song melodies, but nevertheless, they are just as important as the most melodic of instruments like clarinets, flutes or trumpets. In fact, Margason had a euphonium solo in the past season’s marching show which helped her on her road to State.
“Having a solo in the marching show this season was also a huge component and helped me get out of my comfort zone more, having to perform in front of a lot of people,” Margason said. “There have been some great musicians that have made State before me, and I have looked up to [them] and [they] have been great models for me since freshman year.”
Looking into the future of her musical journey, she said that she has looked into musical therapy and will most likely continue to play in college, but just may not select music as a major. With musical talent clearly apparent with her accomplishments at State and throughout the band season, combined with her passion for competition, Margason is a force to be reckoned with in the music world.
“It’s a goal [making State] I’ve had for a while,” said Margason. “And it’s awesome to have finally reached it.”
