Opening her case, she pulls out her flute and puts the three pieces together. She begins to warm up with a few scales and exercises. Then, she takes a breath before she plays the first note of a melody.
Elizabeth Stone is a sophomore who is involved in both UIL academics and band. She was recently invited to play at Carnegie Hall next summer.
“Initially, I was in disbelief that I was invited to play at Carnegie Hall Sydney, one of the most world renowned music halls in the world,” sophomore Elizabeth Stone said. “Being recruited by these organizations made me realize that my musical talents open many doors for me in the real world.”
Stone is a squad leader in band and is currently shooting to make first chair. One of her main goals this year is to advance to State through All-Region tryouts.
“Elizabeth is an outstanding young lady,” head band director Steven Moore said. “She has high expectations for herself and is one of those students you enjoy working with. I think it’s a great honor she is being invited to this place.”
Stone typically practices every day for one to two hours in the band hall or with a director. Additionally, she also takes lessons from a professional flute player in Tyler who has had many students advance to Area tryouts and the All-State band.
“To become a talented musician, one must practice often and with a purpose,” Stone said. “With my teacher’s help, I have significantly improved my basic flute playing skills, which has, in turn, made me an all around better player. My parents also push me to become better by playing in front of other people to reduce my nerves when performing for others, including judges behind a screen.”
Before moving to Lindale, Stone lived in Vail, Arizona. As it was primarily orchestra-based, she was alongside just a clarinet and a trumpet player in fourth grade where she began learning the basics of playing flute as well as reading music. She moved to Lindale in seventh grade where she further improved her skills.
“I was instantly overwhelmed by the size and ability of the Lindale bands; I had never encountered such talented musicians,” Stone said. “Transitioning into the Lindale Band pushed me to hit a learning curve and become a better player overall.”
She was exclusively inspired by her mother who played flute throughout all of high school. Her mother gave Stone the flute to play on, and she instantly fell in love with the instrument, leading her to where she is today.
“Now that she knows what she is capable of, one of her goals is to make the All-State band,” sophomore Evan Marquez said. “Because she got invited to this place, it lets her know she is very capable of making it far. Every time I see her in the band hall, she is either practicing her music, looking over her music, or talking to someone about the music.”
With hard work, Stone advanced to Area as a freshman and pushed to better herself after hearing the level that other flutes played. Later that year, she advanced to State Solo & Ensemble at the University of Texas at Austin where she received a Superior rating on her ensemble and a two on her solo.
“Knowing that I am in the market due to my music abilities, it pushes me to grow as an individual not only as a musician, but also a leader,” Stone said. “Improvement on my abilities presents multiple opportunities for me to expose myself as a young musician.”
