Alexis Esher

Not only did senior Alexis Esher make it to PMEA States this year, but she also made it to the National Association for Music Education’s All-Eastern festival.

“The All-Eastern ensembles are open to students on the upper east coast and areas of Europe, which in total is about 14 states,” said Esher. “Over 1200 people applied for the ensemble, and I was lucky enough to be accepted.”

However, the festival had to be virtual this year due to COVID restrictions.

Students received online instruction, and by the second week, students had to submit a recording of them playing their part.

Esher says about the festival, “An audio engineer pieced all the video and audio together and made one huge video which came out really cool! Overall, it was a nice experience but still really disappointing that we couldn’t have the festival in person.”

One of Esher’s favorite things about past festivals was meeting lots of new people and getting to be with others that she didn’t see often.

She has been playing bassoon for around six years, taking lessons from Kim Nolet for the entire time.

In addition to bassoon, Esher can also play tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, flute, clarinet, oboe, and trombone.

“I originally started playing flute back in fourth grade and did really like it,” Esher said. “In seventh grade, there were too many flute players so our band director asked if anyone wanted to switch.”

With National Honors Society, Ordo Saeclorum, Girl Scouts – winning the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award – York Youth Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Ensemble, numerous school ensembles, teaching private lessons to beginners, and working at Noodles and Company to keep her busy, Esher’s high school life has been filled to the brim.

She has committed to the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and plans to study music education and participate in as many ensembles as she can, including the marching Illini Band.

Esher claims, “My true ambition is to one day become a Marching Band Director for an American university!”