Amy Moss, Director of Choirs at FHS, said that in the past students competed for a panel of five judges, anonymously, behind a partition so that they cannot be seen. This year, Moss said things looked a little bit different.

“Because of COVID, all auditions this year are virtual, so we are facilitating the recording process at school,” Moss said. “Students are then assigned a number.  This number is used to track each auditionee. There are three rounds this year: Region, Pre-Area, and Area.  Student performances are judged against a standard and then ranked.”

Moss said forty-three choir students participated in the first round of the All-State Choir auditions. Thirty-one of the students were named to the Region XVI Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Choir with twenty-five of them advancing to the next round of auditions on November 30.

Moss said that she also has students that are working toward future competitions as well.

“We have also started the Solo and Ensemble process which will be held in February,” Moss said. “All ensembles are working on UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Assessment material. That contest is in March right before Spring Break.”

Moss said that her courses theme this year is “We Rise by Lifting Others,” a quote by Robert Ingersoll. She said because of their focus on that she hopes her students will take away more than just being great musicians.

Moss commented, “I believe our students take away a sense of self-worth, confidence, and belonging.  We work to instill strong servant leadership and team work skills in our students. In working together as an ensemble, our students learn to how arrive at a common goal and not give up when it is difficult. They learn how to deal with failure and how to grow beyond their mistakes. They learn to carry things to completion in a timely manner. They learn how to resolve conflicts and how to give of themselves. They learn to interview for positions and work ‘jobs’ through our various leadership positions. They learn to be confident and advocate for themselves when they have scheduling conflicts or are struggling with personal issues. Finally, they learn to treat others as they want to be treated because in an ensemble, every individual matters and everyone can be a leader in some aspect. Every individual has to know their own part in order for the organization as a whole to be successful.”