McIntosh students will soon compete in the first round of All-State tryouts. During All-State tryouts, students compete to be named into music groups incorporating the best musicians in the state. There are four All-State groups: band, chorus, orchestra, and jazz band.
The All-State band is split into two bands for high schoolers: concert and symphonic. Underclassmen compete for positions in the concert band, and upperclassmen compete for positions in the symphonic band. Students auditioning for All-State band must play a number of major scales, a chromatic scale and an etude, which is a short musical piece. They must also sightread two pieces of music: a technical piece and a lyrical piece.    Sophomore Parker Olson, who placed first chair as a percussionist in 2011, 2012 and 2013, said, “For me, All-state gives an evaluation of my playing at this moment in time. The experience, of course, is great, but its main purpose is to show where I stand with my playing compared to other musicians in Georgia.”
All-State chorus also has two choirs for high schoolers. When auditioning for All-State chorus, students must sing major, minor and chromatic scales as well as a solo. They must also sightread a piece of music and then identify errors in music. Finally, they must take a ten question test on music theory. Freshman Sophie Han, an alto, said, “It is really difficult to make it into All-State chorus, but I think that McIntosh will have multiple representatives in the chorus.” Junior Christopher Greco said, “Mrs. Potter has worked very hard to prepare each and every student for the oncoming honour of making All-State chorus.”
Students auditioning for All-State orchestra must perform an étude for judges. They also play major and melodic minor scales. Like All-State band and All-State chorus, the All-State orchestra has two orchestras: a ninth and tenth grade orchestra and a eleventh and twelth grade orchestra. Sophomore Victor Cama said, “Mr. Hagberg is a very qualified conductor who has worked with professionals in the past and treats us as such. However, those who are going to All-State still have to put in work because it is a very competitive event.”
Finally, the All-State Jazz Ensemble incorporates the best saxophonists, trumpeters, trombonists, guitarists, pianists, bassists and drummers in the state. This ensemble is the smallest All-State group. There is only one band for all ages, and the number of people in that band is far lower than that of all the others. Last year, sophomores Parker Olson, Steven Lukehart and Joey Ciancia were selected to be a part of this group. Sophomore Steven Lukehart, a trumpet player, said, “All-State Jazz Band is really fun. Joey, Parker and I made it last year, and we played some very difficult music. However, the skill level of all the musicians is so high that we sounded amazing even though we were only able to practice for a short while.”
Being named a part of any All-State group is a considerable accomplishment. Many members of these groups later receive scholarships to colleges because of their skill. Sophomore Tyler Lane, a French horn player, who was named in the All-State band in 2012, said, “[Becoming a part of an All-State group] is important because it’s something to strive for. With the right work everyone can make it, but it is not easy. It is an incredibly prodigious accomplishment to perform in an All-State group.”