This past week, choir teacher Ellie Osborne got feedback from one of the biggest choir opportunities in the state. On October 29th, twelve Greenwood students participated in the Kentucky Music Educators Association tryout for their annual all-state choir. This tryout took place at Bowling Green High and lasted from 4-10 p.m., with Greenwood performing from 7:45-8:45 that night.

Students learned a Latin piece called ‘Agnus Dei’ as a quartet, meaning that their were four singers to each group. There was one judge to each student, and they performed it by having one soprano, one alto, one tenor, and one bass singer in each quartet. Then they had to perform a solo of the section they learned in the piece, and it was performed in front of the same judges.

After their quartet and solo performance, they then were sent down a hall to perform a sight reading assessment. This consists of eight different measures, with only one minute to practice through the measures you were just given. The challenge about this part of the audition is that you are only allowed to sing through the measures once. You have to sing through the measures, no matter if you mess up, then the audition process for the students are complete.

In the quartet performance, you are judged on tone quality, your ability to stay on your part, preparation, singing the correct notes and rhythm, etc. In the sight reading section of your showcase, you are only judged on singing the accurate notes and rhythms.

After the audition process, the choral chair spends several weeks tabulating students scores before releasing the list of top scorers in the state. The cutoff for how many people are selected depends on the talent that has been presented in the state. For example, last year the cutoff score for sopranos was 92.7, but this year it went up to 95. This score incorporates your quartet and sight reading abilities and talents.

Mrs. Osborne was very excited to find out the final results from the audition. “I woke up at one and told myself not to look at my email, but I did anyway.” She was so enthusiastic that she ended up staying awake for an extra three hours, getting up at five a.m. to come right to school the next day. Once she told the results to the students that made it, she loved watching everyone’s reaction to the sudden surprise.

Eleven out of the 12 Greenwood students that tried out made it through to perform in Louisville on February 5th. The students from Greenwood who made it through on the Soprano part include Emma Brittenham, Lydia Cantrell, Jeanette Harris, and Cierra Harrod. Students who made it in the Alto part includes Jannah Bolin, DiDi Turley, and Emma Wells. The Tenor who made it through is  Luke Clark. The men that made it through on the Bass part are Preston Harrell, Joe Moore, and Matt Propst.

These students will be representing Greenwood High for the KMEA all state, taking place in Louisville. They will be traveling to sing on February third through fifth, and this is a big honor to be a part of.