The Hidden Valley High School choir students had Choir All-District auditions on Saturday November 8th at HVHS. The auditions gave choir students an opportunity to be selected for a district-wide choir that rehearses and performs outside of school. Students from across the district compete for limited spots.
Hidden Valley Choir teacher, Mr. Miller, said that the auditions are “very selective,” with the district having more than 44 high schools from areas including Radford, Montgomery County, Salem, Roanoke City and County, Lynchburg, Bedford, Halifax, Danville, and others that send students to audition. Mr. Miller explained, “Our students are auditioning against all the students that audition from those schools”.
Selection numbers vary depending on the vocal part and choir. There are eight voice parts in the mixed choirs, while the treble choirs include four. Typically, each voice part accepts around 30 to 40 students, though the soprano and alto sections often see larger numbers because they audition for both treble and mixed.
Freshman Sophie Howell, who auditioned as an alto said she prepared by, “Going over my song every day, and singing it to my friends and family.” Howell found the sight-reading section more challenging than the prepared song. She explained, “You have to concentrate more, and you’re not given certain sight-reading to practice”.
All of the choir students who auditioned made it into the All-District choir. Regardless, the audition process allowed Hidden Valley students to challenge themselves musically and improve their skills.
