While LHS is known for its talented music department, four students have proved to be exceptional. Senior Zachary Buxton and juniors Jack Ceglie, Liam Mylan, and Eric Reilly have been accepted to the 2023 New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) All-State Conference.
The conference, which will take place in Rochester, New York, from Thursday, Nov. 30 to Sunday, Dec. 3, accepted approximately 600 of New York’s most talented high school music students; their acceptance was based on their performance at the NYSSMA festival of their sophomore or junior year. At the 2023 conference, Buxton, Ceglie, and Mylan will sing in the Mixed Chorus, and Reilly, as an alternate on the oboe, will either perform in the Symphony Orchestra or Symphonic Band if given the opportunity to attend.
While a musician’s acceptance to All-State is purely based on his/her audition and score, the accepted students’ music teachers are well aware of the behind-the-scenes work and effort that was put into their auditions and performances. Chorus teacher Barry Wyner commented on Mylan’s soulful personality that translates to all of his performances. “[Liam] is a real perfectionist with his music, more than I think many people realize. He works on every detail of his performance, and I think his NYSSMA judge probably saw that level of attention,” Wyner shared. As for Ceglie, Wyner is aware of his passion for music and his “level of talent that borders on genius.” When asked about Buxton, Wyner chuckled. Despite Buxton’s sometimes mischievous–but always humorous–personality, Wyner admires how much of a hard worker and a team player Buxton is. According to band teacher Brian White, Reilly “is one of the best musicians to ever come through this school, for sure, during [his] time here and probably much longer than that.” To White, Reilly embodies music. “He has an extremely high level of talent, but marries that with an extremely strong work ethic,” White shared.
It is evident in Wyner’s and White’s comments that the success of these musicians did not come easily. They all worked for months on their auditions, including solo preparation, practice with sight-reading, and, in the case of Reilly’s instrumental audition, memorization of all scales. Mylan practiced his solo with Wyner once or twice a week leading up to his audition, and he also practiced with an outside vocal coach to be as prepared as possible. Similar to Mylan, Reilly practiced constantly. “I practiced multiple hours a day most of the time, working on very specific things,” Reilly shared. Additionally, he performed his solo four to five times in public settings before his actual audition, making it easier and less nerve-wracking to perform it before a judge. In Buxton’s case, his solo was already in his arsenal, as he had auditioned with it for his freshman year All-County audition; nonetheless, he still practiced it for weeks before the audition under the guidance of his mom, a fellow vocalist. Ceglie’s preparation focused primarily on sight-reading rather than his solo, although he still did practice his solo “over and over again.”
All-State is not the only musical accolade that these students have received. 2023 will mark Buxton’s second All-State conference, as he was also accepted to the Mixed Chorus last year. He is a member of many musical ensembles inside and outside of LHS, including being trombone section leader in the Wind Ensemble. Mylan has attended four All-County festivals in the past, and in addition to his vocal talent, he is first trumpet in the LHS Jazz Ensemble. Ceglie has a passion for theater. “Outside of school, I keep myself busy with, what feels like, [the] majority of the remaining theater companies on Long Island,” Ceglie shared. He is currently working on two outside productions. Reilly is currently working on composing music for the LHS String Orchestra’s spring concert pieces, and in April 2022, he founded the non-profit organization Students Gifting Music.
The students’ preparation for their auditions was not just to be able to say they got accepted to All-State; there is the excitement of the conference as well. “I’m most looking forward to singing in such an advanced chorus with kids my age who care so much about music as well,” Mylan said. Given the opportunity to go, the ability to work with professional directors and orchestras stands out to Reilly. “And also playing in the hall at Rochester!” Reilly added. For students whose performances are typically in the LHS gymnasium, hearing their sound quality in the concert hall at Rochester will be an entirely new experience.
The success and continued work of these four students would not be possible without their continuous love for music. They all plan to continue to pursue music in some way in their futures, whether as a career or playing on the side. “Music’s able to portray a lot more than just the music. There’s meaning behind everything, and it’s also something that you can have as a passion but also have as a career; it doesn’t stop as a hobby. It can continue and become your life,” Reilly expressed.
For students who are trying to achieve an honor as prestigious as being accepted to All-State, Buxton advises assessing how much one really wants it: “If you don’t really love music and you’re not really invested in it, I wouldn’t recommend pursuing it because it does take a lot of hard work to get it.” Essentially, All-State is just as much a mental game as it is a purely musical audition. On the lighter side, however, Buxton did offer the three words notorious to most musicians: “Practice, practice, practice!”
