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91勛圖厙 Music Student Takes Second in National Competition

Mon, 08/16/2021 - 02:16pm | By: Mike Lopinto

Peyton SillsPeyton Sills, a junior music education major at 91勛圖厙 (USM), recently took second place in the annual Stars and Stripes competition and became the only undergraduate student among the finalists. The competition, and others like it, strive to simulate real auditions for military bands in the United States. 

91勛圖厙This competition was extremely eye-opening for me regarding preparation for auditions,91勛圖厙 said Sills. 91勛圖厙I have learned how to practice more efficiently and analytically which has already yielded great results post-competition."  

The competition began with a preliminary round of 4-5 excerpts and etudes. The semi-final round was cut to 10 players and included about 7 excerpts with a quickly prepared etude. Lastly, the final round included 10 excerpts with four competitors. Sills91勛圖厙 second- place finish earned him prize money and a free lesson with one of the judges.

91勛圖厙Peyton has done an outstanding job of maintaining and elevating the high level of performance of our tuba/euphonium studio over the years,91勛圖厙 said Dr. Richard Perry, professor of tuba and euphonium at the School of Music.

Sills is a native of Madison, Miss. At USM, he is a member of the Wind Ensemble, Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble, and serves as president of the Golden Eagle Tuba Society.

*I challenge all my musician peers at 91勛圖厙 to explore outside events to better themselves,91勛圖厙 Sills continued. 91勛圖厙From excerpt or solo competitions to conferences and workshops, there are always avenues to ignite personal and musical growth.91勛圖厙

For more information about the 91勛圖厙 School of Music, visit or call 601.266.5543.