To encourage students to audition for All State Choir, the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) created a new policy allowing students to audition for a separate Honor Choir.

Only incoming freshmen and returning sophomores have a second opportunity to participate in the new All State Honor Choir if they did not make District Choir. A student can reapply without paying another fee and audition for Honor Choir. In the previous 2015-2016 school year, choir directors from each high school hand selected students that failed the All State process for Honor Choir.

“When a student transitions from eighth to ninth grade, they’re competing with ninth through 12th grade, and it’s a huge skip in repertoire,” Choir Director Sharon Paul said. “The music is about one to two levels above as opposed to three to four levels above a student’s eighth grade experience.”

Being that this only focuses on freshmen and sophomores, juniors and seniors are discouraged in auditioning. Juniors and seniors have gone through the upper levels of sight reading and literature if they’ve been involved in choir for three to four years in high school, Paul said. “There are some students that can do the All State process, but for others it’s a little bit more difficult. This Honor Choir is an intermediary step to advanced level.”

Tryouts will occur after District auditions. The exact application deadline date, set for October, has not yet been announced.

“As a whole, it’s better as far as students being able to experience an actual audition as opposed to just being appointed,” Paul said. “Our whole goal is to encourage more students to try out for All State.”