By Kora Gaines
On Feb. 28, Junior Emily Sobba and Senior Kris Holloway achieved an impressive honor by performing at the Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA) State Choir concert in Wichita. The students spent three days preparing for their performances.
During that time, they practiced six to seven hours a day and rehearsed for several hours the morning before the concert. Sobba performed in the All-State Treble Choir, and Holloway performed in the All-State Mixed Choir. Freshman Brayden Friend attended as an alternate.
About 3,000 students across Kansas completed a blind audition in November. From those auditions, only 244 students were selected to perform in the state choir, making it an honor reserved for some of the top student vocalists in the state.
Students in the KMEA State Choir also tend to perform well academically. The average ACT score among state choir members is 27. This is higher than both the Kansas average of 19.3 and the national average of 19.5.
Many school administrators attended the concert, along with several state representatives.
Choir director Mrs. Goetz was asked how proud she was of the students.
“Being proud of them is an understatement,” Goetz said. “I am elated and very proud of these students for working so hard and accomplishing something so amazing. I only wish more people could have seen how incredible they were and how hard they worked.”
Being selected for the KMEA State Choir is a major accomplishment. With only 244 students chosen from about 3,000 auditions, Sobba and Holloway’s success highlights both their musical talent and their dedication.
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