All-County Orchestra auditions recently took place at Rockledge High School, giving orchestra students a chance to advance their skills.

“All-County Orchestra is an outlet for the highest achieving strings students to be with like-minded people,” band and orchestra director Christopher Houze said.

This event also helps the musicians connect with similar people.

“Specifically, it’s students who take private lessons and enjoy playing in ensembles outside of the classroom, and so it’s an opportunity for students to play with people who feel the same,” Houze said.

Students have to go through an audition process to be in this orchestra, on both the high-school and middle-school levels, where they play prepared exercises they received in March.

“I thought I did pretty good,” sophomore violinist Abby Goodman said. “I did a lot of practicing with people — friends from Eau Gallie, West Shore and Brevard Symphony Youth Orchestra — and playing with teachers [to prepare].”

However, these auditions have impacted orchestra classes at school.

“I think sometimes it affects class in that we want to be able to hear everybody, to help the process, but sometimes that takes away from instruction at times,” Houze said. “You have to find a balance between hearing every student who needs it and still giving the group what it needs.”

By Chloe Seifert