The All-Region Choir Auditions for middle school were challenging this year, but that didn’t stop the Tigers.
“Students have been preparing four pieces of music since the beginning of the school year. Three pieces are in English and one in a foreign language. Last Thursday they were told their “cuts” from two songs that they would be auditioning on,” said Terra Vista Choir Director, Michaela Billett.
In order to succeed, it’s important to put in the time to practice. That is exactly what students did to feel confident about the pieces of music.
“Students have been practicing in class, during lunch, during tiger time, and at home to prepare for All-Region auditions,” said Alcove Trails Choir Director, Kara Copeland. “Many students were in my room before and after school in addition to having a short rehearsal time in class and during lunch. Most students practiced for about an hour a day in the weeks leading up to auditions.”
Next month, the 49 Frenship students that made the All-Region Choir will perform the songs they learned in a concert with the top students who were selected for the All-Region Choir. This involves a day-long clinic followed by the concert to show off what they have accomplished. The concert will be on November 11, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. hosted at Monterey High School.
“This is a high honor in middle school and prepares them for the High school region which goes up to the state level,” said Heritage Choir Director, Morgan Kirby. “An all-state choir member is one of the highest honors in the choir world. In middle school, we do our best to prepare them for the upper-level experiences.”
Frenship Middle School Choir Director, Lauren Snow, said that “Frenship ISD students are thoroughly prepared for this audition, and they know how to handle the pressure!”
When we asked the four middle school Choir Directors about their students, every single one of them raved about how proud they are. Check out what they had to say.
“I am extremely proud of my students! I am absolutely thrilled that ATMS has a few students in the regional choir during our very first year,” said Alcove Trails Choir Director, Kara Copeland. “Not only am I proud of the students that made the regional choir, but I am equally proud of all of my students who auditioned. We may not have the quantity that most of the other middle schools have, but we definitely have the quality. My students' hard work and dedication inspires me every day.”
“I am incredibly proud of these students! Sometimes it is hard to motivate students to go above and beyond, put in extra work, go the extra mile. But these students volunteered without hesitation. I am so proud to have these quality singers as part of my program,” Frenship Middle School Choir Director, Lauren Snow.
“I am beyond proud of all of my students, not just the ones who auditioned but the other students in my program who rallied and took time out of their Saturday to help run the contest to ensure a successful day. My kids strive for excellence and that was accomplished on Saturday,” said Heritage Choir Director, Morgan Kirby.
“I am so very proud of the TVMS Choir students! The majority of the work put in to make the choir comes from outside of class time,” said Terra Vista Choir Director, Michaela Billett. “The students that made the choir competed against other 6th-8th graders to earn one of 32 spots in the treble choir and 22 spots in the tenor bass choir. They had to really set themselves apart during the audition process to make an impression on the judges!”
Congratulations to the following students:
Alcove Trails Middle School
Soprano 2
- Addison Smith, 2nd Chair
Tenor 2
- Gavyn Dockery, 6th Chair
Frenship Middle School
Soprano 2
- Aerin Lacirda, 3rd Chair
Alto
- Abigail Ritchie, 16th Chair
Bass
- Daniel Hernandez, 7th Chair
Heritage Middle School
Soprano 1
- Addison Wagner, 5th Chair
- Claire Brown, 8th Chair
- Lillian Hargrove, 11th Chair
- Isabella Ontiveros, 20th Chair
- Emery Ingram, 31st Chair
Soprano 2
- Lilly Smith, 6th Chair
- Maddie Bergen, 8th Chair
- Carmela Alvarez, 9th Chair
- Adalyn Trumble, 10th Chair
- Ambry Baker, 17th Chair
- Selyn Joligon, 20th Chair
- Naomi Bengoa, 32nd Chair
Alto
- Rachael Onojeje, 1st Chair
- Shelbi Morrow, 12th Chair
- Peyton Guenther, 28th Chair
Tenor 1
- Jordan Sanchez, 8th Chair
- TJ Crozier, 15th Chair
Tenor 2
- Brooks Bolen, 9th Chair
- Hickson Howard, 14th Chair
- Zayne Blackwell, 16th Chair
Bass
- Ethan Hronek, 3rd Chair
- Parker Ruth, 4th Chair
- Gavin Rios, 5th Chair
- Ben Trevey, 8th Chair
- Kyson Packer, 9th Chair
- Joseph Solis, 15th Chair
- Deegan Sutak, 19th Chair
Terra Vista Middle School
Soprano 1
- Emma Lathrop, 10th Chair
- Ellena Zaragoza, 32nd Chair
Soprano 2
- Olivia Copeland, 1st Chair
- Lokshree Acharya, 5th Chair
- Ava Ivey, 7th Chair
- Gemma Reber, 11th Chair
- Mia Gomez, 23rd Chair
Alto
- Audrey Byars, 19th Chair
- Hannah Tiongco, 24th Chair
Tenor 1
- Bravyn Fielder, 1st Chair
- Maurice Panes, 9th Chair
- Glorian Leon, 22nd Chair
Tenor 2
- Caydan James, 11th Chair
- Maddox Weigand, 13th Chair
- AJ Carpenter, 19th Chair
Bass
- Aiden Moudy, 1st Chair
- Colton Porter, 2nd Chair