Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

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Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE

Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE

Music All-Stars Attend All-State

Many+choirs+attend+All-State+in+Tampa+from+Jan.+14+to+Jan.+17.+%E2%80%9CNot+only+is+it+a+place+where+you+can+make+new+friends+and+learn+new+music+for+college+auditions%2C+it%E2%80%99s+also+a+great+reason+to+miss+a+few+days+of+school%2C%E2%80%9D+vocal+junior+Kyle+Watson+said.+%E2%80%9COkay%2C+maybe+not+the+latter.%E2%80%9D+
Photo courtesy of Kyle Watson
Many choirs attend All-State in Tampa from Jan. 14 to Jan. 17. “Not only is it a place where you can make new friends and learn new music for college auditions, it’s also a great reason to miss a few days of school,” vocal junior Kyle Watson said. “Okay, maybe not the latter.”

For musicians of various grade levels, it is an honorable opportunity to attend the annual music conference All-State. From Jan. 14 to Jan. 17, band, strings, and vocal majors are in Tampa attending the prestigious festival. There, they are able learn from professional conductors and work alongside other skilled students.

“[All-State] brings in a bunch of kids around the state and puts them in big groups. [They] learn some music and perform a few days later,” vocal junior Kyle Watson said. “The best part of All-State has to be the friends you make. If you participate in several honor groups, these are the same kids you’ll be seeing time after time. Personally, I’ve been in the same group with one guy four groups in a row. ”

Being able to attend All-State is not an easy task. The conference is highly selective, and the audition process requires vast amounts of time and preparation.

“Near the beginning of the year, you ask your teacher to try out for All-State,” Watson said. “Everyone that does has to take a [music theory] test and a sight-reading test. Depending on your scores, you are either placed in a certain group for later auditions or fail and don’t move on. There are a variety of groups with a variety of skill levels for vocalists and instrumentalists alike.”

The work will be worth it, as students will be able to show what they learned at the festival during a special performance on Jan. 17.

“Rehearsals are held on the last day, and [All-State attendees] put on a performance,” strings junior Emily Winters said. “It’s [unique] because these groups consist of some of the best performers in the state.”

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About the Contributor
Uma Raja, Assistant Managing Editor
Communications senior Uma Raja, Assistant Managing Editor and third-year staffer, was born in Manhattan, New York City. She loves animals and enjoys traveling the world to see different aspects of nature and various cultures. Raja's passion has been writing ever since kindergarten, and she has been published several times. She received an Excellent in review writing at the National High School Journalism Convention, third place for news writing in the Palm Beach Post Journalism Awards two years in a row, a Scholastic Silver Key for journalism, and three Editor’s Choice awards for journalism pieces in the literary magazine Teen Ink. She spent her summer at the Washington Journalism and Media Conference, where she participated in writing workshops and received instruction from seasoned journalists. She looks forward to creating intriguing articles and putting in a full effort. Raja has worked with esteemed writers like James Patterson and National Geographic Editor-in-Chief Susan Goldberg, and she hopes that her writing will one day inspire others.
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