Grace Heist is no stranger to the saxophone.

Her cousin played it. Her dad played it in high school.

When she decided to pursue band as an extracurricular activity in school, the Palmerton Area High School junior knew exactly what instrument she wanted in her hands.

“My mom and dad would tell me exciting stories of the time they were in band and it got me eager to join and have just as much fun,” Heist said. “It inspired me to take up the same pursuit.”

Flash forward eight years since Heist began playing the alto saxophone and that pursuit has led to a major milestone. Heist finished third in this year’s Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 10 band competition. In finishing third, Heist bested students from Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, Pike and Schuylkill county schools.

“I couldn’t believe it at first,” Heist said. “I think I cried a little. When I auditioned for districts in the past, I was under the impression that I was most likely not going to get in due to the competitiveness and talent of the other kids. I still tried my best because I knew that the auditions were a good experience to have. I was so excited and happy to find out that all of my hard work and persistence finally paid off.”

Because of COVID-19, the audition process was a bit different to say the least.

In a normal year, auditions are held in person. At the in-person audition, the performer has to sit in a room with three or four judges that have their backs to them. They are required to play three scales, a new piece of music to test sight-reading ability, and their designated audition excerpts.

The sight-reading component of the audition was removed this year as auditions were not in person.

“The nice thing about the audition this year was that everyone had the chance to rerecord themselves multiple times if they made a mistake, whereas in an in-person audition, you only get one shot to get it right,” Heist said. “Even though it was different, I liked the process for auditioning this year better than previous years.”

Music for the District band auditions is usually released in the spring and the auditions are held in December.

“I have about eight or nine months to practice,” Heist said. “I play my saxophone at least once every other day for about one to two hours in order to prepare for the audition.”

Typically the students who are selected to District band then have an opportunity to re-audition to move on to Region band, which is made up of students from District 10 and District 7. That also includes Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York county schools.

“Since no District band festival was held, re-auditions were impossible, so the initial results of district auditions were used to select those who were eligible to audition for State band,” Palmerton Area High School Band Director Tom Heinick said. “Grace’s initial audition was so good that she was eligible to audition for States, which is comparable to having reached the Region band level.”

When Heist started playing saxophone, she set a goal for herself to be the best player she could be through consistent improvement. The opportunity before her is not lost on the Palmerton student.

“It means a lot that I finally got to that playing level where I can audition for State band,” Heist said. “I am grateful and lucky to be able to have the opportunity.”

Though she has another full year left at Palmerton to hone her craft, Heist is confident music will play a key role in her life for years to come.

“I want to continue to play music when I go to college and in the local community bands,” she said. “Unlike sports, the great thing about music is that you are never too old to be able to play.”