Being invited to the All-State Band is no easy task, so when senior Alec Sweeden of Thompson Falls High School made the cut, he was elated. All-State is comprised of students from all over the state who auditioned last spring.

Sweden's music teacher Brittany Nichols said that because of the auditions being very advanced and competitive, very few students are accepted from class B into the ensemble; the majority are from AA schools. Sweeden said that he was the first student in 12 years from Sanders County to make the All-State band. This fall it was held in Bozeman.

Sweeden grew up in Denver, Colorado, moving here his sophomore year. He started playing the trumpet in fifth grade, quickly falling in love with it. He then took a break for a few years and picked it back up his sophomore year. "I love playing and chose the Trumpet because it's very competitive to get in," Sweeden said.

When asked about challenges, he said that living in a small town has its limitations, not as many opportunities as a city, making playing a more personal pursuit. "I was fully self-taught, just starting private lessons a year ago. I learned I had been doing it all wrong and had to relearn using the proper techniques," Sweeden said. "It was demoralizing but I was able to pick it up fast."

In his spare time Sweeden plays the trumpet as well as the guitar and piano, putting in 20-25 hours a week. One of his most memorable experiences while living here has been going to the three day All-State event. "It was a cool experience to play with other gifted musicians," he said. "There were approximately 70 in the band, 70 in the orchestra and 130 in the choir."

"Haile Ward, the band teacher here, had a huge impact on my life," he stated. Ward left Thompson Falls High School to continue her education in Colorado. Sweeden's other musical heroes include composer Fredrick Holtz, who composed "The Planets'' and Wynton Marsalis, "the most phenomenal trumpet player of all time."

Sweeden's future aspirations include earning a bachelor's degree in music education and a postgraduate degree in conducting/performance. He's hoping to get into Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

On November 11, Sweeden will be performing in the All-Star band as well as the All-Star choir, in Missoula. He is also practicing for the Christmas concert in December as well as the spring concert here in Thompson Falls. "Alec is a motivated, independent, hard-working student. He hopes to write a piece of music for the band to play for the spring concert," said Nichols.