KMEA All-State

The first week in February is always the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) Conference in Louisville.  Not only is it a week for music teachers to get together and attend workshop sessions provided by other professionals in the field, but it is also a time for students to participate in All-State ensembles.  Back in October, auditions began all across the state for All-State Choirs, Bands, and Orchestra.  There are three choirs: SATB (4 part choir with boys and girls,) SSA (three part female voices,) and TTBB (4 part male voices.)  There are four bands: Symphonic Band, Concert Band and Jazz Bands I and II.  There is one All-State Orchestra group. New to KMEA for 2019 is a Guitar Ensemble. Congratulations to all of our local students who were selected to participate.

The audition process is rigorous.  It takes preparation, talent, skill, concentration, focus, confidence, and self-discipline for a student to make it through and be chosen to represent their school’s music programs.  I applaud each and every one from our district of Kentucky! All-State Jazz Band and All-State Choirs perform on Friday and the rest of the groups perform on Saturday. The Kentucky Center for the Arts hosts the large groups and the Jazz Bands perform at the Galt House Grand Ballroom. Each group rehearses and performs under the direction of a world renowned conductor.  It is an invaluable experience for student musicians.

Schools can only send a percentage of their enrollment in their choirs to audition.  These numbers represent the strong choir programs that are supported by our school administrations in Greenup County!  The auditions consist of a quartet (4 singers – one on each voice part) singing, a cappella, the same prepared piece of classic literature for a panel of judges.  Each voice part has its own judge.  Students are judged on their ability to stay on part, intonation (pitch accuracy,) tone, rhythmic accuracy, and articulation/expression.  Students must also sight-read for a judge.  This means they must sing – without accompaniment - music that they have never seen before.  This is a skill that can only come with practice.  Many students say this is the most difficult part of the audition.  It is a competitive process and these students are to be commended for getting through with high scores.    

The audition process for instrumental students is a bit different than choir.  Students must prepare the audition piece that is selected by the state and perform it in a blind audition on the district level in order to advance to the regional auditions.  They are also required to sight read as part of their audition score.  The process is very competitive.  Many students who study an instrument take private lessons and spend countless hours in practice for these auditions. Making an All-State band is an impressive accomplishment for any band student! Being able to compete on a state level takes many hours of preparation and nerves of steel.  Students who advance through this process are to be highly commended.     

I loved All-State Choir when I was a high school student and was fortunate to make the group all three years that I could audition.  (Choir students are eligible as 10^th graders and band students can audition as 9^th graders.)  I believe the experience inspired me to be a better singer and to continue improving each year.  Singing in an All-State group is an opportunity to rehearse under the direction of a professional conductor who specializes in honor groups.  Everyone in the group is a high level performer and can learn quickly.  It is a thrill to be part of such a group and get to polish a piece of music at a professional level.  The musicality that these groups present at the end of the week’s rehearsals is always amazing – especially coming from high school students!  I have learned to never under estimate the ability of a high school student.  That is one of the lessons that the All-State experience brings to not only the students themselves, but their teachers and their parents who attend the concerts. 

The All-State experience brings more to the student than music education. They also have to learn to navigate the Convention Center, Hyatt Regency, and Galt House.  They must arrive at rehearsal on time and with their music, pencil, water, and any other needed items.  They are required to play and sing their music correctly, but the process of preparing an All-State performance is much more than that!  An All-State group learns to take the process of rehearsal much further than most high school groups can experience.  An honor group director specializes in recognizing the ability of the students in the group and raising the bar of expectation to a level that can be compared with professional musicians.  The details of the music are explored in ways that bring out high level thinking and performance skills.  Specifics such as tone color, dynamics, and articulation are what make accurate music performances become art. When art is created, emotion is evident and connections are made between the performers and the audience.  This is what art is all about!

The 2019 KMEA High School All-State students representing Greenup County this year are:

Raceland-Worthington High School Choir: Brady Ross, Marty Helms, Sam Smittle, Landon Mauk, Connor Hogsten, Laura Nestor, Rachel Pierce                                                                                                            Russell High School Band: Kevin Ramsey, Noah Weibel, Bryson Hunt 

Russell High School Choir: Carissa George, Caroline George, Meredyth Wilson, Elijah Robinette, Rachel Clark Russell students in the junior and children’s choir: Vinessa Fressola, Maggie Caldwell, Lacey Isgett, Madison Weiher, Ryan Derifield, Hayden Roy, Ellie Enyart, Samuel Robinette                                                            

Anne Stephens, Extension Agent for Fine Arts in Greenup County can be reached at 606-836-0201 or anne.stephens@uky.edu. Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND KENTUCKY COUNTIES, COOPERATING