Mt. Vernon’s Jeb Lottes is a multi-talented musician able to play, keyboards, trombone and trumpet as well as a euphonium, which is a variation of the tuba. Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
HANCOCK COUNTY — Jebediah “Jeb” Lottes is hitting a high note with his selection to a band featuring the most talented student musicians in the state.
The Mt. Vernon High School sophomore is taking his euphonium to Lafayette next month to perform in the 2022 Indiana All-State High School Band.
Lottes was a rising sixth-grader when he attended a band event at Mt. Vernon Middle School where he and other students tried different instruments to see which ones they wanted to play.
He was originally drawn to the tuba, but found that the euphonium was music to his ears.
“I think now especially what I can really appreciate about it is the sheer variety of different styles you can play in,” Lottes said of the brass wind instrument.
While the euphonium is his go-to, he dabbles in other brass instruments as well, along with other instruments like the guitar and drums.
He spends an hour and a half practicing with his euphonium in school every day and about another hour after school either picking it up again or playing one of his other instruments.
While piano lessons in grade school didn’t make for a good fit, he started to get more excited about music thanks to his middle school band director, Stephen Day. He said that positive influence continues through Jackie Nason, director of the Band of Marauders.
“Both of them are teachers that actually make me actively enjoy band,” he said.
Lottes spent about a month practicing the two pieces for his Indiana All-State High School Band audition, which he performed in front of a judge at Fishers High School earlier this year.
“It was really terrifying,” he said. “But I luckily played it enough that I was just able to work through the pain and do it. My legs were shaking the whole time though.”
The audition also called for him to sight-read a piece — play something he had never seen before.
He was thrilled to see his name listed online among those selected for the 62nd Annual Indiana All-State High School Band Festival sponsored by the Indiana Bandmasters Association.
“You can ask anyone in the house when I yelled,” he said.
Of the 600 who auditioned from across the state, 170 from 54 high schools were selected.
Lottes will continue practicing the music for the event on his own until he and the other band members gather for the first time next month.
“All that time it’s just working it out on your own, actually learning it,” he said. “And hopefully the next two days together is just getting everything blended together and working. I know it’s going to be a lot of work both on my own and together.”
All members will participate in a series of activities including seating auditions, sectionals and full rehearsals from Friday, March 11 through Sunday, March 13. A free grand finale concert will be presented to the public at 2:30 p.m. March 13 in the Elliott Hall of Music on the Purdue University West Lafayette campus. Dennis Llinas, director of bands and associate professor of conducting at the University of Oregon, will direct the Indiana All-State Band.
Nason has directed Lottes for the past two school years.
“It’s easy when you have a student that’s really passionate about music,” Nason said. “It’s nice to have someone who is able to help demonstrate that musical excellence that you look for, so that can be modeled to other students. A lot of times other students are the best types of teachers for other kids to look up to and watch.”
She’s proud of her student for achieving his selection to the all-state band, adding it’s been several years since a Mt. Vernon student was chosen.
“I think it’s really impressive for any student to make that group,” she said. “I think it’s particularly exciting when the student is only a sophomore. If you consider the state of Indiana and all the high schools that are involved, and how many likely seniors and juniors auditioned for those spots, and to have a sophomore chosen is definitely really awesome.”
