Freshman Akash Sriram and senior Rachel Plummer made the California Choral Directors Association (CCDA) All-State Honor Choir and performed in Sacramento on Feb.3. CCDA All-State Honor Choir is the next highest honor after making the Coastal Regions Honor Choir, choir teacher Emily Moore said.
Choir students who were interested in the Regional Choir prepared for a 10-minute audition that covered sight reading, scales, arpeggios, and more, Moore said. Scoring at a certain level would allow students to make the Regional Choir, the region extending from the Oregon border to around San Luis Obispo, and scoring even higher would automatically qualify students into the All-State Choir without having to re-audition, she added.
“I think the best thing I did was just encourage people to audition,” Moore said. “I was able to show everyone the process, how it works, and then host auditions to get people to join.”
Plummer was the only person to audition for the Regional Choir last school year and was the first to audition in over a decade from MHS as not many people were previously aware of the opportunity, Moore said. Plummer helped pave the way for multiple students auditioning this year, Moore continued. Plummer went from making the Regional Choir to the All-State Choir this year, Moore said.
“I was proud of myself for taking that leap and going for it,” Plummer said about her audition last year. “When I got in, I got to learn so much and meet a lot of amazing people. I didn’t care so much that I didn’t get into All-State.”
Sriram found the choice to audition an easy decision as he had been involved in musical activities for over nine years, including five years of choir, he said. Sriram also takes classes for Carnatic music, classical South Indian music, along with choir lessons for western music on the weekends, he added.
“I first told my parents (that I made All-State Choir), of course, but the next person I talked to was Ms. Moore,” Sriram said. “She’s been really supportive of me, helping me with choir stuff, and she was the one who introduced me to All-State and Regional Choir in the first place.”
Despite upholding a major commitment to his various musical aspirations, Sriram still prioritizes his academics, he said. He tries to find ways to incorporate both activities together, Sriram said.
“Every time I do a homework assignment, I listen to a song and I sing it back,” Sriram said. “It just is something that comes really naturally to me, and it definitely helps me in studying certain things, especially for concentration.”
Sriram and Plummer both spent extra hours working with Moore to gain more technical and practical experience, Moore said. They felt that they needed more practice on their sight-reading and made sure to emphasize that in their practice, Moore added.
“Ms. Moore is really kind and understanding, so she would have me work during karaoke on Fridays and also during the week as well,” Plummer said. “I had to learn various skills, memorize different skills and learn how to sight-read, which was a challenge for me as someone who doesn’t play an instrument.”
Plummer thinks that singing in church and adult choirs has given her a lot of valuable experience, she said. Besides that, she can remember going to choir rehearsals since she was 8 years old, and has worked with professionals since she was 14 years old, she said.
“Even if you’re afraid to put yourself out there, just do it because you’ll be so glad and so proud of yourself afterwards,” Plummer said.