Edmond Memorial High School was fortunate enough to send 19 talented students to the 2022 OKMEA (Oklahoma Music Educators Association) All-State Convention for the weekend of Jan. 19-22. These students include Seniors: Lauren Laundhart, Olivia Roberts, William Loughridge, Owen Hatch, Olivia Melder, Luke Trenary, Luke Rosacker, Brooke Anderson, Kaylen Herndon, Lois Brenneman, Avery Hamlin, Brenna Bushman, Caris Haymore; Juniors: Mia Lashley, Emerson Royse, Adalyn Owen, Ella Lathem; Sophomores: Tate Rosacker and Madi Dolan.

“I was very excited obviously (when seeing the list of participants),” Anderson said. “The audition process is hard enough and everyone hopes to see their name on the list, and when we do, it’s an amazing feeling.”

The audition process begins when three choral pieces are released to be rehearsed for months with other students, teachers and private voice coaches. There are four technical rounds that the singer must complete and pass before there is a chance of being a participant. The first round uses two of the four choral pieces as a “warm-up” for the second round and a chance for the judges to narrow down their options. The second round uses three of the four pieces and finalizes the top singers that will be attending the weekend convention. But it is not over once the students arrive; they are then put through another round of auditions at the convention to ensure that the participants are familiar with the new music given to them after the second round. Finally, once all rounds have been completed, it is a weekend full of instructional rehearsals, games, learning about one other, and fun in the hotel.

“The Clinician (for 2022 Mixed Choir) was the best we have had yet. She knew what she was talking about and made everything entertaining yet productive,” Laundhart said. “My favorite song that we sang was “Way Over in Beulah Land” because of the way our clinician conducted. It is a very powerful song if sung right and thanks to our wonderful conductor, we were able to do just that.”

Many schools around Oklahoma are not blessed with a greatly funded choir/performing arts program, so this weekend is a perfect opportunity for those students across the state to have a chance to sing in a well-funded, well-educated environment.

“It teaches endurance and an ability to engage in the music in a way that we may not be able to in our school choirs,” Brenneman said. 

Not only are the singers spending hours in rehearsals, but it is also a great time for students to get to know other fellow singers from around the state as well as get to know new, highly professional conductors from around the country. The conductors are usually professors at the collegiate level that have new insight and experience to share with these young singers that may not have the opportunity to work with a profound choir/conductor in their hometown.

“I would tell everyone to audition even if they don’t think they will make it. It’s a great experience and teaches you things that are important to life,” Anderson said. “Getting rejected should not make you feel like you can’t audition anymore; it should make you more determined to work hard and get into that choir.”

OKMEA All-State 2022 was a success to say the least for these Memorial singers. It was informational, exciting and very enlightening for the students that attended, and all of the hard work paid off in the end with a grand finale of a concert. 

Contact Avery Hamlin at [email protected]