Book excerpt: Written for high school trumpet players intending to audition for the All-State Band, ¿All-State Prep for Trumpet¿ covers everything a student will need to practice from the time after solo and ensemble contest (mid-Spring) until the day the All-State music is announced (late-Summer). The objective of this book is to help the student sound more mature and stand out at the audition. Most students only strive to be as good as the rest of the students their age. As a result, it is difficult for the judges to tell them apart. The judges can identify the top two or three players, and they almost always recognize the worst players in the room. The ninety percent of players between those extremes make up a pool of mediocrity that the judges are forced to choose from almost at random. Being one of the ninety percent is a lot like playing the lottery. Being selected for the All-State Band becomes a game of chance. The good news is that high school students can swing the odds in their favor and sound like a college player, if they focus on the correct preparation. Judges are not impressed with the same things that impress high school trumpet players. Judges are not impressed with playing high, fast, or loud. They are impressed with musical maturity. ¿All-State Prep for Trumpet¿ focuses on developing the musical maturity that wins auditions.