Five DMAE students who auditioned for All-State Chorus were accepted and will perform   in either November or February during the 2016-2017 school year. Junior Janice Park, sophomores Kyle Castillo and Shant Keshishian, and freshmen Genesis Capellan and Jessica Lee  represented DMAE at the All-State chorus auditions in April at Randolph High School in NJ.

“I’m proud of how well everybody did; auditioning for All-State Chorus requires a lot of preparation and passion,”  said Music Director Sandra Meltzer proudly.

“It was my third time auditioning for the All-State Chorus, so I wasn’t really nervous. The first time I auditioned, however, I practiced for five hours!”

The audition is a challenge to singers from around the state. For the audition, singers must prepare scales based on their vocal range, sing a predetermined solo, sight sing, and sing along with a recording.

“It was my third time auditioning for the All-State Chorus, so I wasn’t really nervous. The first time I auditioned, however, I practiced for five hours!” junior Janice Park said.

Janice Park placed top ten in All-State, and is now eligible to apply for All Eastern Chorus.

Another factor that makes the auditions challenging for students is the fact that they are blind auditions and the times are random. This setup created anxiety for some but not all of those auditioning for the chorus.

“Everyone at the audition seemed nervous,” Kyle said. “But I wasn’t too scared – I was excited. I wasn’t going to feel defeated if I didn’t get accepted into the chorus, because I felt sure that I could try out next year,” Kyle explained.

Future singers interested in auditioning for the All-State Chorus should practice hard and look to past and present members of the chorus for guidance.

“It’s fine to get nervous,” Kyle said. “Just remember that it is not about vocal quality, but about confidence. Most of singing is whether or not you believe in yourself,” he concluded.