Ten students from the Taft High Band auditioned for a spot in the Kern County Honor Band and Orchestra on Monday, December 9, 2019. Once the Christmas parade was finished, they made their way to their auditions. From those ten students, five students: Nathaniel Morris, Taylor Reed, JD Frakes, Presley Golling, and Richard Posey made it.

We asked music teacher, Amanda Posey, how she felt when these five made it and did she expect any less, she said, “I was not surprised when these 5 made it. They are outstanding musicians. Taft has a lot of talent and these five set the standard for the band and music department. I am always proud when students from Taft are given a chance to compete with some of the bigger schools in our area. These five students have proven that they can stand on their own and deserve a chance to play with the top musicians in Kern County.”

Taylor Reed has been a part of the Honor Band and Orchestra for three years now. This year, she is part of the Honor Orchestra as Second Trumpet. The remaining four are a part of Honor Band. Nathaniel Morris has been in Honor Band and Orchestra, including junior high years, for five years now. He is 1st Bassoon. We asked Morris what he was feeling before the audition and he replied with, “I felt confident before the audition. I knew I was going to get in because bassoon is an instrument not many people audition on. This time around, only four auditioned. All four made it.” This year will be Presley Golling’s second year in Honor Band and Orchestra and he will be Second Baritone Sax. JD Frakes is Sixth Chair Baritone and it is his first year as a part of Honor Band and Orchestra. Richard Posey will be Sixth Chair Tuba. He has been a part of Honor Band and Choir, including his junior high years, for seven years now.

The students will be performing on January 28th at the Mechanics Bank Arena. We asked Posey if she had anything she would like to say to these students and she said, “All five of these students are also outstanding students and get top grades. Presley is also a swimmer, Ricky plays baseball, Nathaniel made All-State Honor Choir. Taylor is also in Choir and JD is in cross country. These are normal teenagers who balance academics and extracurricular activities. At Taft High, a student can do it all. And these five are successful, all-around wonderful students.”