2 Aux Sable Eighth Grade Musicians Accepted Into State Honor Band

PLAINFIELD, IL — Twin sisters who attend Aux Sable Middle School are two of 72 middle school musicians headed a state band festival in January, District 202 officials announced Monday.

Katelyn and Kamryn Cook, who play French horn and percussion, respectively, will attend the All-Illinois Junior Band Festival set for Jan. 14 and Jan. 15, 2022. Following a blind audition process where musicians submitted recorded music, the eighth graders were chosen among 168 seventh and eighth grade students who auditioned from 47 schools.

"I think going into the audition I thought, 'Oh, this might be cool but if I don’t get in that’s OK, at least I tried,'" Katelyn Cook said in a statement.

"I felt proud that I got in," Kamryn Cook said.

The girls' father, Jerrod Cook, is a band director at Plainfield South High School and thought the honor band would be a good opportunity for his daughters, according to a news release.

The festival, taking place at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, will include rehearsals leading up to a concert. Barry L. Houser, the associate director of bands at the university, will be the festival's guest conductor.

Since its founding, the All-Illinois Junior Band has aimed to create a premier musical experience for middle school band students. The organization is also dedicated to determining membership solely based on competitive blind auditions, according to its website.

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