Following several rounds of auditions in the fall and spring, two AHS choir students were selected to be a part of the TMEA all state choir. 

Juniors Ariana Schmitt and Elizabeth Miller have been a part of the all state process since their freshman year, and their ultimate goal has been to be a part of the all state choir. 

The TMEA audition process is very competitive because over 70,000 students audition and only 1,810 are selected to be a part of a choir, the all state choir being the best. 

“We’ve been preparing for this since May in order to make it this far,” Miller said. 

The first round of auditions took place on Sep.t 18, and many other choir students attended this round of auditions. After singing through their cuts for the judges, each student ranked and is given a chair number, 1 being the best. Only a certain number of students can advance to the next round, so they can only select the top chairs from each region. 

Ariana and Elizabeth were the only ones to move on to the second round, which took place in October. They sang through different cuts of different songs as well as sight-read a line. After being judged on sight reading and singing the cuts, they were ranked again. This process continues for four rounds, the last being the auditions for the all state choir. The top chairs selected in the last round are the ones who will be a part of the all state choir. 

“I remember seeing seniors when we were in middle school do this so now to be in their position is pretty awesome,” Schmitt said.

The all state clinic will be held on Feb. 9 and will last through Feb. 12. This is for all of the students who are in this choir to rehearse their songs all together for the first time, and prepare for the concert that will take place at the end of the clinic. This concert will be on Feb. 12 in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.