Article written by Ainsley Hall and published in The Journal on December 19, 2025, link to article.
Martinsburg North Middle student Aubrie Souers was accepted into the West Virginia Middle School All-State Band, earning first on the flute.
She will join other talented, young musicians from across the state in a high-level ensemble and perform together in March at Charleston.
Souers started playing the flute four years ago in fourth grade. She remembers attending fourth-grade orientation, and her mom encouraged her to join the band. After considering all the instruments, she decided to learn how to play the flute and has been playing it ever since.
“It makes me feel special that I have a talent that I can bring with me as I get older,” Souers said. "I just really like playing. It’s really fun, and whenever I play the flute, I don’t have to worry about anything else except the music.”
When Souers was in sixth grade, she was encouraged to audition for the all-state band, but in the end, she wasn’t ready. When the opportunity came around again this year, Souers’ band teacher, Matthew Blom, convinced her to try out. For the audition, she had to record herself playing a song and scales all in one go. Blom helped her record, but it took many attempts before she got it down perfectly.
When Blom heard she got first place the night before the band’s concert last week, he was so excited for her. He decided to keep it a surprise and announce it during the concert after Souers' solo. He called her back to the front and shared the news with everyone.
“I was shocked, but I was also really excited,” Souers said. “I was crying happy tears for hours. I’m talking maybe two hours later. I was still crying when I got home. I was so happy, and my family was really proud.”
To prepare, Souers is practicing at least a couple hours every other day to learn seven different songs, including "A Song of Courage," "Carpathia" and "Chan Chan" by William Owens, "Dedication Fanfare" by Carol Chambers, "Dancing Snakes" by Neil Simon, "Skedaddle" by Timothy Loest and "Procession for a New Day" by James Swearingen. As she gets ready, Souers aims to improve her site reading and timing as she continues to learn the music and improve her skills.
One of the things Souers is looking forward to the most is meeting other students and making new friends. She’s excited to learn more about music and connect with other kids who share her passion.
Blom said that working with other musicians is one of the things that makes the all-state band such a great opportunity.
“Being in an ensemble like that, you end up learning more, I think, from the people that you’re sitting next to and the experience of playing in a high-level ensemble than you do from a guest conductor or just being in the regular band room,” Blom said. “Just having those extra experiences outside of what your used to every day in school really helps out a lot.”
Blom is proud to see Souers succeed, especially because he was her band teacher at Eagle School Intermediate before coming to the Martinsburg North Middle this year. Souers rose to the challenge and is excited to travel to Charleston on March 5-6 next year.
