Three students from the Cypress Falls Choir recently went to represent Cypress Falls at TMEA All- State auditions. Among those three students were: Gabriel Gutierrez (11), Ashlee Hernandez (11), and Natalie Kolb (10).  

“The All- State competition is a very hard process, because you are surrounded by so much talent,” Hernandez said. 

TMEA All- State is a rigorous and competitive process. 70,000 students in the State of Texas audition for the All-State Choir, and ultimately only 1,800 students are selected. 

“I was feeling extremely nervous,” Kolb said. “I was going crazy.” 

Students go to camps to prepare for the auditions, which are in September, that are hosted here at Cypress Falls and Langham Creek. They first have to know music for Region/ District auditions.  

“Anytime a student makes one of those groups (District or Region), that means a lot, even if they don’t go all the way to Area, but they had to put in all that work, just to make that cut,” Head Director, Deidre Douglas, said. 

Only these three students made it to the final stage of the Region auditions, which is Pre Area/ Area. After having to learn the music for the audition, there is another component added: sight reading. Sight reading is a process in which a student has to read a piece of music that hasn’t been practiced.

“When they go to the All- State clinic and concert in February, they make the All- State Choir,” Director Douglas said. “There is some music they perform that is not part of the audition process. While they are there, they reinforce.” 

 These students will go on to represent Cypress Falls at the TMEA All- State Choir concert.

“Choir teaches you about unity and the importance of being a team player in order to create beautiful music together,” Hernandez said.