Not once, not twice, not three times… for the fourth consecutive year, Ethan Boekelheide of Northwestern high school in Mellette made all-state band.
While the Wildcats are known heavily for their success in volleyball, they’re also a bit of a hidden gem when it comes to kids participating in music. In a high school of around 100 kids, roughly 30 are in band. One of those kids is senior trombonist Ethan Boekelheide.
“In fifth grade, we start band at Northwestern. We choose three instruments that we would like to do and then send them to our band teacher, and then she decides which one. I’ll be honest, I don’t know what instruments I put down,” joked Boekelheide. “I think trombone was on the list, but trombone seemed like a cool instrument.”
This year, he was one of 16 kids in the state who was honored as a four-time member of all-state band, meaning for each year of high school he auditioned and was chosen for the honor.
“It’s really fun, I really like being at all-state. I’ve met lots of friends over the years doing all-state events, and it’s kind of a reunion getting to see them again,” Boekelheide said. “I just really like all-state band, it’s a good time.”
In middle school, around sixth grade, Boekelheide started taking music more seriously. He started practicing more. And now as a four-time member of all-state band, he’s learned to appreciate playing with the level of talent at the event.
“All-State or honor band events are much easier than if you picked random musicians from around the state, because they’re really good, and they care about it, and they practice the music on their own,” explained Boekelheide. “It’s not as hard as you’d expect to play with people you’ve never met before. It comes together really good, because they’re all so good.”
Along with a strong love for larger ensembles, like concert band, Boekelheide also likes Jazz Band.
“It’s really fun when it all comes together. That’s what I really like about concert band is sometimes I just listen to all the sounds happening around me. There’s so much going on and it all works. That’s the beauty of concert band, it’s all very complex and planned out,” he exclaimed. “With a Jazz band, the solos are different every time, that’s the beauty of Jazz Band, and then the self-expression aspect as well.”
As a senior, Boekelheide will graduate this spring in a class of about 23 kids from Northwestern high school. His plans next year are to go to South Dakota State University to major in Ag Business, but he also wants to keep music in his plans. The Pride of the Dakotas and other musical ensembles at SDSU are on his list of groups to be involved with in college.
He also gave some advice to some of the younger musicians in the state. It doesn’t matter if your from a metro area or small town, big school or small, it comes down to self-discipline – like any other sport or activity.
“The best advice I would have is practice a lot, practice as much as you can,” Boekelheide said. “You only have a limited amount of time, try to use your time wisely. Try to use your time for a good purpose.”
