Owsley County musicians advance to second round of all-state auditions

Brannon Nolan and Allyson Montgomery moved out of the first round of all-state auditions after performing at Model Lab High School, and both Owsley County High School musicians will return for the second round on Dec. 10 in Elizabethtown. For a small rural program, that kind of advancement matters because it puts two county students one step closer to the Kentucky Music Educators Association’s state ensembles, where only the strongest auditions keep moving forward.

The all-state process starts at the local level and narrows through district competition before ending with selection to the state ensembles. KMEA says those musicians represent the top tier of student performers, and the bands chosen through that process perform at the annual In-Service Workshop and conference in February. The final-round auditions for bands are scheduled in December at John Hardin High School in Elizabethtown, giving Nolan and Montgomery one more chance to stand out in a selective statewide field.

For Owsley County High School, the advancement is more than a line on a school post. In a district where extracurricular programs often carry extra weight, a result like this can raise the profile of the band program, show younger students what is possible, and strengthen public support for the kind of instruction that takes place well beyond the classroom day. When a county this small produces students who can keep advancing in statewide competition, the accomplishment echoes across the school and the community.

The result also fits a pattern for both students. In February 2022, Allyson Montgomery, Brannon Nolan, Justice Nolan and Timothy Smallwood represented Owsley County at the University of Kentucky Honor Band. Later that month, Brannon Nolan and Justice Nolan performed in the percussion section of an Eastern Kentucky University Honor Band ensemble, while Montgomery earned second chair in the trumpet section in Brent Barton’s EKU Honor Band group. Those earlier performances showed that Owsley County musicians were already competing beyond the county line, and the latest advancement suggests that the school’s band program continues to develop students who can hold their own in demanding regional auditions.