NEWS RELEASE

Auri Mitchell and Lamont Doneghy auditioned for and earned places in the Bluegrass All-Regional Honor Band, and they performed with the group earlier this month.

The two Danville High School seniors talked about what the honor meant for them and what the experience was like.

Mitchell, who plays the flute and piccolo for the DHS band, participated in the Bluegrass All-Regional Honor Band last year and remembered enjoying it, so she tried out again this year.

“I knew it was fun, and I would get to meet more talented people and people who are better than me, and it was a little bit of a humbling experience,” she said.

She also said she was confident she would make it through the audition process. The opportunity allowed her to get private lessons, gain more knowledge and learn better techniques.

Doneghy, who plays saxophone for the DHS band, didn’t do the honor band last year, so he wanted to attend this year.

“This showed me a lot of music I had never seen before, like a march,” he said.

He found the pieces the honor band played more difficult than he was used to, which was good exposure because in college, he wants to study music education.

Mitchell wants to study psychology, but she said she is also considering a minor in music. It’s been a part of her life for a long time, she said — her mother played the flute, and her family is very musical, she said.

“I do still want music to be a part of my life,” she said. “I just feel like, after putting in seven years already, there was no reason to quit now.”

The Bluegrass All-Regional Honor Band exposed Mitchell and Doneghy to a lot of talent. The director was head of bands at Morehead State University, Doneghy said, and there was a lot of talent among their peers with the honor band as well, which Mitchell said made her realize she wanted to practice more and try harder.

“It taught me that I should probably step up my game,” Mitchell said.

In addition to the flute and piccolo and the saxophone, Mitchell and Doneghy also both play guitar, Doneghy plays some piano, and Mitchell said she can “dabble” in some brass instruments.