By BEN KLEINE

Staff writer

“You should live with this music. You should download it to your iPod,” were the words in a letter Marion High School senior Landon Leiker received for his Feb. 19 performance with the North American Honor Band in Carnegie Hall.

Leiker received the music and followed the conductor’s directions, putting the music on his iPod. However, he has only listened to the songs once.

On top of preparing for the once-in-a-lifetime performance at Carnegie Hall, Leiker tried out for the Kansas State Honor Band Jan. 8 and is also practicing for state solo auditions. This past weekend was the first time Leiker has focused on the music for the National Band, which includes challenging marches, melodic pieces, and more conventional band songs.

The trumpet is not a forgiving instrument either. Leiker said with just one key position he can play seven notes. His mouth and fingers need to be perfectly synchronized.

“They expect me to be perfect when I get up there,” he said. “The more you practice the easier it gets.”

Leiker tries to practice his trumpet at least 10 hours a week. He takes lessons from Jim Phillips in Buhler while also playing weekly with the Marion High School Band.

Leiker received a letter last May from the national band selection panel asking him to audition because he was successful in state performances. He was trumpet first chair last year and has played with the state band since his freshman year.

“When it comes to the trumpet, I’m a major perfectionist,” he said. “I got first chair, but I wasn’t happy.”

The perfectionist streak extended to his audition video. It took Leiker seven recorded tries before he was satisfied with his video. It took more than three days of playing to get 10 minutes of video for the two songs he performed.

“I’m sure when the panel is listening, they’re hearing fabulous trumpet players,” Leiker said. “I picked pieces to showcase my talent. Every little detail, I had to have right.”

Leiker believes he will be one of about 13 trumpet players. In the band featuring over 100 musicians, Kansas will not be heavily represented and towns Marion’s size even less so.

For the Saturday performance, Leiker and his family will arrive in New York on Thursday, when the band will have a practice of about three hours. The next day the band will practice for eight hours. In comparison, that will be two hours longer than the longest day of practice at state, which Leiker said is also a marathon of intense trumpet playing.

“My lips will be Jell-O,” he said.

The trip will not be all business. In addition to performing on his 18th birthday, Leiker will see the musical “Wicked.” He also plans to site-see, touring backstage at Radio City Music Hall and going to the top of Rockefeller Center among other things. Saturday morning, national band members will make an appearance on the CBS Early Show.

It will be Leiker’s second trip to New York City; he took a trip with MHS teacher Janet Killough and other students with the MHS musical to see Broadway shows in the summer of 2009.

“Broadway musicals are just amazing,” he said.

Leiker said he is more excited than nervous at the thought of playing in front of 5,000 people at Carnegie Hall. He is also looking forward to playing with talented musicians, although that possibility provides its own pressure.

“Everyone is so good, no one is going to make a mistake,” he said. “A mistake would be noticed.”