All-State Schmall-State...

So yesterday started at 5:15 sharp at Happy Chef. Holy cow that was such an early morning, especially for a Saturday! Anyway, this was the beginning of the day of All-State Music Festival auditions. Our choir director always tells us that any good famous vocal performer will tell you that to do your best performance, your voice must be awake four hours prior to your performance. Well, the all state auditions begin at 9, so we are awake and talking by 5 a.m.

The All-State audition process is pretty messed up/ineffective. You can audition in a quartet, trio, or duet (mine was a trio), and any school can bring up to 28 students, 7 on a part (SATB). Well, when you arrive at your location in the state (based on school's location), you receive your cuts of the selected All-State pieces. You see, when you audition, you audition in front of ONE judge, not two, not three, not four, but ONE! Basically what I'm saying is, if that one judge does not like your voice, you are SCREWED. Two of my good friends, Lion and Pheebs, got screwed over for their third year of auditioning. They have just had the unfortunate circumstance of getting a judge that wasn't fond of their voice.

As well as auditioning in front of one judge instead of multiple, all of the high schools in our school system attend the same location for All-State auditions. Our school system has a lot of the state's most talented singers, and the fact that they ALL go to the same location makes it horribly competitive to get in. Each location picks about thirty on a voice part and with five Cedar Rapids schools with talented singers plus the other little schools in the area, many are left in the dust. I propose that we divide up Cedar Rapids schools into two different locations.

Once the first round of All-State auditions are completed, recalls are posted. Recalls are for those that they need to hear again. While the recalls are taking place, the list of those that made it first round are posted. It is a time of tears and joy. Those that made it console those that didn't, some, like my friend Lion :), get mad at those that don't shut up about making it. And others believe that there is always next year.

I have determined that this whole All-State thing is a bunch of, for lack of a better term, bullcrap. Some of THE most talented people don't make it simply because the entire process is subjective. Lion and Pheebs definitely deserve it more than anybody know, and definitely deserve it over a certain someone that made it. Only they shall know who I am talking about. All-State is a bunch of hooplah that doesn't do a whole lot for your future. Sure you can put it on resumes, but what else?

Will you let the All-State process effect you?