By Nathan Straus
nstraus@jacksonvilleprogress.com
Alicia Coronilla and Uvandria Blakemore, Jacksonville High School choir students, have been selected to advance to the all-state choir auditions Jan. 9 at Texas A&M; University at Commerce.
They competed with high school students around East Texas in the pre-area competition Nov. 10 before being chosen to proceed.
“We took 29 to regionals in September, and seven qualified for pre-area,” said JHS choir director Tiffany Hammock.
Hammock said all-state auditions send students through several levels of competition to get there.
“If they make it at all-state, they will travel to the Texas Music Educators Association Convention,” Hammock said. “They will rehearse for three days with guest conductors and then sing in a concert.”
The concert will take place at the end of the Feb. 10-14 convention.
If the JHS students make it into the all-state choir, they will receive both a special patch for their letterman jackets and a great experience colleges will notice, Hammock said.
She said the last all-stater she can remember from JHS advanced about three or four years ago.
At the competition students go to a classroom to sing, Hammock said.
The students can’t see the judges and the judges can’t see the students. Each singer will perform parts of three pre-selected pieces to be scored. He or she will be graded on correct rhythm, notes, vocal quality and more.
The second part of the competition is the sight reading exercise, where students are given a piece of music they have not practiced and in some cases have never seen before. They must then sing it correctly for the judges.
Coronilla will sing as the third chair for alto one. Blakemore will attend all-state as the first alternate for alto two.
