Students anxiously await the results. 

After months of training, Englewood Talent Company (ETC) singers auditioned before the All-State Judges on the morning of Saturday, October 8th. The four who auditioned performed a solo and presented a number of musical skills such as singing several types of scales and identifying random notes. 

Garyln Saddler, the middle and high school choir teacher, has been taking her students to audition for All-State for several years. This small group is her second round of students since 2020, ¨The skills that are tested at All-State are skills that any musician should have even up to the professional level.¨ Saddler says there are many beneficial aspects of the audition choir. The All-State experience will teach students to grow in a more professional setting. 

Some of the auditionees have prior experience with professional choir endeavors. ¨When I used to live in California, I was part of a choir called South Bay Children’s Choir,¨ says Junior Michal Marquis, a first-year All-State participant, “it was definitely an audition level and you had to have a certain amount of skill to be in that group.” 

Students showcased their musical talent in a solo and were required to perform an extensive amount of skills,¨It was a lot of preparation but, in general, it was very rewarding,” Marquis said, ¨When I was done with my audition I felt that I had done well even in parts where I had messed up.¨ 

On an early Saturday morning, the four Choir members arrive at auditions. ¨The first thing students do when they arrive is they have to check in at the check-in table,¨ Saddler said, ¨Students from all over the metro area are in that warm-up room preparing for their solo and getting ready to walk into the judges room about 15-minutes before their scheduled audition time.¨ The students anxiously waited for their turn to perform, and once they go in they are tested on their knowledge and singing skills. 

This is the second year for Senior Aidan Mader, who qualified and took part in the All-State choir last year. He felt prepared for this years test, “I practiced a multitude of scales, triads, sight-reading, and rhythmic exercises. These helped me to be ready for the audition process.”

He sang a classic soul called Deep River, “It was very nerve-wracking even though it was not my first time auditioning. I was familiar with the audition process since I had done it last year,” said Mader. 

The results of the auditions will be released after Thanksgiving break.