Students audition for All State choir

Ashley Chase and Sophia Alaniz, Editor in Chief and Web Editor

This past weekend, 14 students attended the Area choir audition and 4 students qualified for the All State choir.

“I wasn’t really expecting it,” junior Hannah Barnard said. “It was really rewarding to make it because it took a long time working on the music. We worked on it for almost a year I’d say, maybe eight months, and it just felt really rewarding to make it.”

Barnard made 5th chair for Soprano 1, junior Evan Welliver made 2nd chair for Bass 2, junior Corbin King made 1st chair for Tenor 1, and senior Erica Myers made 1st chair for Alto 1. Senior Sadie Eastman, an Alto 2, and junior Katelin Mastrodicasa, an Alto 1, were first alternates, both getting 8th chair.

“It feels awesome and it’s been really cool to progress through the years because this year I got first chair and I’ve never done that at state before,” Myers said. “So I feel like I’ve been getting better throughout my whole high school career and it’s very rewarding to know that I’m improving.”

The first three chairs for both the men’s and women’s sections qualified for the mixed All State choir, the top six chairs in the men’s made the All State Men’s choir, and the top seven chairs in the women’s made the All State Women’s choir.

“It’s a very scary feeling because they announce the names backwards,” Myers said. “They go from last chair to first chair so the whole time you’re sitting there and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t make it,’ and then they announce, ‘First chair Erica Myers.’ It was a relief and it was also like a fluttery happy feeling just because I was really excited.”

Many of the students had competed and made the All State choir before. This is Myers’ third time to make the All State choir and King has not only made the All State choir both years that he’s tried out, but has also made 1st chair both times.

“It’s horrifying because they go through and it’s like fifth chair, fourth chair, third chair, and you don’t know if you make it and you have no backup so first chair you either make it or you completely fail,” King said.

However, last year Barnard and Welliver both went to the Area audition and neither made the All State choir.

“It’s okay to not always reach your goal as long as you try your hardest,” Barnard said.  “You’re always going to have moments where you don’t succeed exactly the way you want to but it’s okay. Last year, for example, I went to Area but I didn’t make the All State choir. I was obviously upset at first but I still grew so much through the whole process and that’s what the purpose of it is.”

Most students said they have habits that calm them down before a performance. Both Myers and King said they pray to do their best, but Barnard had a different answer.

“I take my shoes off,” Barnard said. “I leave them outside. I like to feel better, feeling the ground under my feet.”

The All State Process begins late May and early June, when the music for the auditions is released. The final audition for the All State choir is six months later in June.

“I’ve learned how much time it actually takes to master music,” King said. “I’ve also learned that even if I didn’t make it it would still help me grow because of the amount of time spent learning it and working on it.”

All State camps are offered over the summer, where students take a week to learn and polish the All State music. During the school year, weekly after school rehearsals are offered from the first week of school until winter break.

“My favorite part [of the All State process] is the practice beforehand,” Myers said. “The whole point of the process is to to improve your voice and learn how to read music and how to sing music well and learn it well. Learning the pieces as intensely as I do helps me get to know my voice more and be better for my future.”

This year is Myers’ last year to compete in the All State competition, and she said that she learned from the process that it’s important not to get too worked up about placement, but instead focus on self improvement.

“I know I’ve had lots of success but it’s interesting to watch how other people handle it if they maybe didn’t get as far because they have to realize what they did do- improve their voice,” Myers said. “No matter what chair they got, they still got better over the year and I think that’s really important, to know that everything you do, every competition, every anything that you do, will help you get better.”