Freshman Cellist, Amanda Ye, earned a chair in the Texas Music Educators Association Sinfonietta Orchestra, a selective orchestra only offered to students in Texas.   

“They take 40 chairs, and I placed 30,” Ye said. “You first have to qualify for area by making a chair in your region. Then, if you get into area, they judge you again for state.”   

Preparation for the auditions began months in advance.   

 “They give you the pieces in late May or June, and you have the entire summer to work on them,” Ye said. “Then they send out another batch of pieces around August.”    

According to Ye, the pieces, though short, are technically demanding.   

 “Some of them are really hard; you have to perfect them because the requirements are strict,” Ye said.   

Ye started playing the cello in fifth grade, and she attributes her success to strategic practice.    

“It is not mostly about the amount of time you practice but how intentionally you practice,” Ye said. “You could spend two hours doing something over and over and not improve. The main thing is thinking about how you are practicing and how to improve.”   

The first TMEA orchestra performance is in February in San Antonio, Texas.   

 “We will rehearse at a location in San Antonio with other musicians from all over the state,” Ye said   

Despite the demands of being in Upper School, Ye says she hopes to continue developing her passion for the cello.   

 “Practicing and improving is what keeps me going,” Ye said.