The good news keeps coming in for the Central High “Central Sound of Chattanooga” band program. Three members were recently named to the All-East Tennessee Band and five members were named to the All-County Band, according to Mr. Josh Singleton, first-year band director.

On the All-East Band from Central were Robert Farr (percussion), Hannah Farmer (flute), and Erickson Frias-Cruz (clarinet). These students and Mr. Singleton traveled to Gatlinburg Feb. 3 to meet up with the best high school musical talent in East Tennessee to perform in a 30- to 40-minute concert.

“The way they selected the students was by a blind audition,” explained Singleton. “A blind audition is when the judges can’t see the student who is playing his/her instrument, but can only hear them.”

Singleton added that those auditioning stand behind the curtain so the judges can only go off the sound.

Those judges were band directors from across Tennessee. They decided who participated in the event and who did not. Anyone from 9th grade to 12th grade was able to try out for the band.

The students were nervous about auditioning but were proud of their accomplishments.

“I was beginning to doubt my abilities,” said Frias-Cruz, a junior. “I felt worried and my fingers went frozen. I snapped out of it when I took a deep breath and believed in my capabilities.”

He pointed out that being part of the All-East Band gave him a sense of accomplishment and it showed all of East-Tennessee who I was as a musician.

The honors continued when five Central Sound members were named to the All-County Band.

Along with Farr, Farmer, and Erickson Frias-Cruz, Madelyn Little (oboe) and Edickson Frias-Cruz (trumpet) were named to the All-County Band.

“Madelyn also tried out on tenor saxophone and was the top scoring tenor saxophone for the entire audition,” Singleton noted.