The beautiful sound of choral voices drifts into the corridor before getting lost in the cacophony of percussion, woodwind, brass and a smattering of recorded music and voices.
Barely three weeks before the start of school, some of Killeen ISD’s most talented and ambitious musicians are returning to campus to get back in the rhythm and prepare for another season of performance.
This week, choir students from all five high schools converge on Chaparral High School to learn the music many will sing in upcoming auditions – as many as three rounds leading to the prestigious Texas Music Educators Association All-State choir.
High school fine arts are in motion across KISD, the region and state.
At Chaparral, on a rain-soaked morning, Bobcat band members rehearsed music inside, spread mainly through the large auditorium lobby. At the other end of the fine arts hallway, the TopCats dance team worked on routines in the studio.
Between the band and the dance team, divided in three rooms, choir members labored over tryout music – sopranos and altos (girls) in the morning and tenors and basses (boys) in the afternoon.
After working separately according to voice part, the whole group gathered to combine their sound.
Killeen High School senior Trinity Ricks, new to varsity choir and to Texas, said she was excited to get to work on some challenging music and prepare to try out for All-Region choir later in the fall.
“Beautiful music, beautiful people, beautiful instructors,” she said of her first two days in the choir camp. “I love it. It’s amazing.”
Chaparral senior Taitayna Etheride is familiar with the audition process and said she was excited to bond with other choir seniors while preparing for competition.
“It’s really about connecting with (other students) while learning the music to get prepared for state,” she said.
“It’s usually really difficult,” said Etheride, explaining the music covers a wide gamut of styles, including some in foreign languages.
Choir students serious about challenging for All-State Choir work diligently through the summer, often attending camps and continuing into the school year, finding time to rehearse after school, at home and whenever they can.
Ellison Choir Director Amy Triggs said the camp, a tradition in KISD, provides a way for the district’s choir directors to give their students the best opportunity to advance through three levels of auditions.
“We’re setting them up for success so the first day of school they can hit the ground running and they have a leg up,” Triggs said.
The first audition is late September. The top 15 or so in each vocal part move on to the next level.
About 20,000 choir students across the state begin the competitive process in the initial region level and about 1,200 make it into the various All-State ensembles.
Last year, six KISD choir students made it to All-State Choir.
