It’s a cold December weekend in Central Texas, and while most Cedar Park students enjoy this weekend in the blanketing comfort of their home, a handful of band students make the long trek out to Cedar Ridge High School for the Region Band auditions.

Among them is Sean Wright, at this time a sophomore saxophone player. He’s already been at Cedar Ridge for several hours over the course of the weekend. After a successful Friday night audition in round one, he’s returned to Round Rock for phase two of the contest, and after another lengthy audition, he remains in the cafeteria, anxiously awaiting the results.

As he sits in the white-clad eating place, he thinks back to all the time he’s spent mastering his craft. He remembers his time in middle school, tangentially enjoying his work, often blind to music’s possibilities, as he struggled to practice a sufficient amount each week for his practice sheet. He laughs at his middle-school self.

He flashes forward to his freshman year of high school. At Cedar Park, he is constantly surrounded by masters of music.  As he snaps back to reality, surrounded by only the best saxophonists in the region, he finally realizes that he is actually one of those great players he always wished to be.

Suddenly, most of his fellow auditionees jump up and run over to the cafeteria wall, where results are posted. Nervous as ever, Wright is not sure what to expect. He reads through the buzzing crowd and finds his name, with a “REGION BAND” designation beside it. He’s made the region band.

It’s at this moment that Sean Wright finally understands his calling. He is in fact one of the great players. He doesn’t have to dream anymore. The wish is now reality. From this point forward, he concludes, his future won’t be centered around math, or science, or anything else. His passion lies in music, and wherever he goes, he knows his love for the craft won’t be far behind.

Wright, now a graduating senior, will attend Texas Christian University and study Saxophone Performance.