First JWP student in 33 years to qualify for All-State
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton junior Miles Kruger has already achieved plenty as a high school musician. But he officially made history when he got the news that he qualified for All-State, something that other musicians at JWP haven’t done in 33 years.
Kruger will be attending the Minnesota Music Educators’ Association’s All-State Camp from July 30 to August 3 this summer at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, where he will be gathering with fellow All-State musicians for “an intense week of building musicianship, making friends, and performing.” The camp features world-class conductors and section coaches from around the state, and students will perform at the end of the camp.
After going to camp, Kruger will be attending the MMEA Midwinter Convention in Minneapolis on February 14 and 15, 2025.
Kruger qualified for All-State on baritone saxophone. According to him, he had been working on several etudes on the baritone sax since the beginning of the school year in September. “I also did a scales etude,” he added.
He sent in those as part of his blind audition. He found out around April 18, right after he took his ACT test, so he couldn’t quite take it all in. But he did say, “I am very excited to go. It’s pretty cool I’m the first to do this in 33 years. I was confident about getting in.”
Kruger’s dedication to his craft began in 5th grade, the first year many students from JWP joined started their journey in the world of band. After six years, he plays all four saxophones—baritone, tenor, alto, and soprano—for various ensembles, including the JWP pit orchestra, jazz band, several honor bands, the JWP sax ensemble, and other pit orchestras outside of school. Kruger also shared that he’s “pretty proficient” on the piano.
Band Director Adam Hille has enjoyed watching the once-budding musician grow into a confident saxophone player. “Seeing his growth has been incredible,” he said. One of my favorite parts about teaching 5-12 bands is seeing students go from making their first sounds on their chosen instruments to watching them grow into fantastic musicians.”
When asked about any lessons or memories he’d like to take away from the All-State summer camp, Kruger didn’t talk about himself. “The big thing that I would like to get out of this is seeing more students at JWP audition for some of these things,” he said. “We had some others think about auditioning, but they didn’t do it. I hope that seeing that I made it encourages them to give it a try.”
Director Hille echoed his sentiments: “I hope that now that Miles has made All-State, more students will see this as an achievable goal, and hopefully, it will encourage them to take these bigger auditions.”
