To reach the top of any field, talent alone is never enough. Columbia High School senior Caden Creel has proved that hard work oftentimes tilts the scales in your favor as he quadrupled his daily practice time and earned first chair euphonium in the Mississippi Lions All State Band for the second year in a row.
Creel auditioned for the band the past four years and made the cut all but his first year. He was sixth chair in his sophomore year but placed 19th out of 20 euphoniumists who auditioned in his freshman year. This served as a wake up call for him. He knew he had to up his game if he wanted to make the band at all and definitely if he wanted first chair.
Twenty minutes of practice a day is what Creel believed to be sufficient as a freshman. He now practices at least an hour a day and sometimes two. When he prepares for Lions Band auditions, he increases to two to three hours a day. That is what he believes propelled him into first chair the last two years.
Lions Band training week will be held June 24 through June 30 at Pearl River Community College, where they will learn eight to 10 pieces of music.
"I will never forget my first year when I found out how hard the work is. They even feed us a fourth meal because we start so early and work so late," Creel said. "It's tiring, but it's a lot of fun to play with the musicians there and make new friends. Everybody is enjoying what they are doing, and everybody there wants to be there. It's an honor to work with the directors and the kids."
Creel has played in the school band since sixth grade when he played the trumpet. In the middle of sixth grade, he switched instruments because the band program needed a euphoniumist, and Creel said it turned out he was not the best trumpet player. He said he gets asked all the time about his new instrument, which is similar to a baritone but is a completely different instrument and akin to a small tuba.
In order to audition for the Lions Band, an application must be printed from the website, filled out and mailed to the director. Applicants then receive an email with instructions for the audition, which is held at Pearl High School. Audition requirements include playing two etudes, which are three to five-minute musical pieces that allow a player to demonstrate areas of their musical skills, and playing the 13 major scales in under three minutes. There is a two-stage audition process.
There are different spot numbers for different instruments, including eight euphonium spots. An average of 30 euphoniumists and more than 500 students total try out each year. Call backs for the second round includes 16 euphoniumists, and only eight of those make it into the Lions Band. Only the top two make it into the All State Concert Band.
Creel said that most people don't make it their first year for Lions Band. He said it helps to know the competition each year and who is graduating, but you never know who is coming up as a newcomer.
The All-State Concert Band only performs once a year, and that is in Natchez. This year that will be Dec. 7 through 10 with Dutch composer Johan De Meij as the visiting clinician. One of Creel's goals this year was to make this concert band so he could work with De Meij, a trombonist and euphoniumist turned conductor.
"De Meij is a big deal. He's like Beethoven to band people," Creel said. "They had to have booked him at least four years ago to be the clinician for this clinic because he's in such high demand. He composed the symphony music for 'The Lord Of the Rings.' We will get to learn two of his pieces. It would be a bummer if not."
After camp, the Lions Band will conduct a state tour July 1 and July 2 followed by a tour of Washington, D.C. then Boston July 3 through July 11.
Creel is excited to perform in the Lions Club International Parade in July 2023 in Boston. He missed last year's event in Canada due to Covid vaccination issues.
"It's an expensive trip but worth it," he said. "My granddad is a logger, and I have worked mostly during summers with him since eighth grade to make some money. I still may have to get some donations."
Creel plans to attend Pear River Community College on a scholarship and then the University of Southern Mississippi to major in music education. He wants to be a professor over tuba and euphonium but became very animated when discussing military bands. He said that might be a consideration, but he knows it can be very difficult to get that position.
For now, he is happy with what he has achieved to this point.
"It's an honor to make the Lions Band," Creel said. "I would advise other students to work hard at whatever they do, and it will eventually pay off. Also, be grateful to those who support you. I want to thank my directors, Mrs. (Leslie) Fortenberry, Mr. Bill Thompson, Chase Harrod and Philip Frazier, as well as my entire family."
