High School Honor Choir is a choir available to all choir students of CCSD who are ready to take their music careers to the next level. It’s a fun experiment, but can also be a great way to learn more about the choir world. This year, Shadow Ridge had 14 members get in, with one that even went above and beyond, getting the role of section leader.
Auditioning for the Honor Choir alone is hard, but those who were outstanding in their performance become section leader of their part. Senior Larry Halvorson, Advanced and Chamber Choir singer of Shadow Ridge is now the bass 1 section leader of CCSD High School Honor Choir. He is also the first male to represent Shadow Ridge as a section leader.
“Being named section leader is one of my greatest achievements in life, so I don’t think words can quite describe how much it means to me,” Halvorson stated. “I found out around a week ago, and I still cannot stop thinking or talking about it to anyone who will listen to me. But it also speaks to the prestige of singers we have here at Shadow, while I may be the first guy to be named section leader, I certainly don’t think I’ll be the last.”
A section leader often has to take on many roles and it can be a challenge to lead such a large group of people, however, Halvorson is ready for the challenges that might be thrown at him.
“I think the biggest challenge for me will be the section leader piece that I will sing at the concert. I’ll be the only person on my part for the song, so it will be a really awesome challenge,” Halvorson said. “My way to best prepare for the piece is to be overly prepared enough to where mistakes will be an afterthought, and instead I could be fully entrenched in the performance.”
Halvorson’s experience in choir has prepared him for this moment, making him ready to lead his section.
“My experience in the choir has taught me that when you have to lead, you need to lead for the people you’re leading, not for yourself. If you lead for yourself, you greatly limit the success you can achieve. The way I digest information is different than my neighbors, so I can’t limit myself to only leading the way I would want to be led,” Halvorson stated. “The biggest quality a leader should have is being approachable. The more approachable you are, the more things you can fix. While I find myself to already be a very approachable person, I also need to know any possible answer to questions people may have, and this comes with extreme preparation on my part.”
Another student who excelled was freshman Dylan Eecklor. Getting into the Honor Choir as a freshman is oftentimes seen as difficult, but Eecklor rose above that and showed that she belonged there.
“I knew I would have to work really hard on both my sight reading and music,” Eecklor said. “I spent at least an hour each day three weeks before the audition, practicing both my melodic and rhythmic sight reading. Along with that, I spent about a week and a half practicing my music as well. I came prepared and ready for the audition. And though I had a lot of adrenaline and was scared at first, I had a smile after I was done, because I was proud of what I did.”
The best part about auditioning for the Honor Choir is that it’s fun and exciting for everyone involved.
“I enjoyed talking about how we felt we did on our auditions and what we could have done better. I also loved hearing everyone else audition too,” Eecklor stated.
Sometimes many lack the confidence to believe they could achieve this, but putting in the maximum effort and genuinely trying will get them further than they think.
“I would say that even if you aren’t 100% confident in yourself, but know you have at least a decent chance, you should just audition. The worst thing they can say is no,” Eecklor said. “Auditioning for things as a young adult/teen is also a good experience for real-world situations; such as job interviews, or if you’re looking to go into the arts. It’s a good look into how some auditions might look.”
Auditioning for choir may seem intimidating, but there’s a spot for everyone regardless of skill or experience. When it comes to the Honor Choir, preparation is key, and staying calm during the auditions is just as important.
“Don’t be afraid of auditioning for choir. There’s a place for everyone in choir, no matter your skill set or the commitment you want to give,” Halvorson said. For Honor Choir, however, the best advice is to be super prepared, and do your best to stay relaxed as possible during the actual audition.”
Others who got into Honor Choir:
Seniors: Rylee Serah Cainglet, Ethan Fisher, Kayla Hardman, Layla Carlos, Claire West, and Lucas Halvorson.
Juniors: Sterling Burnett and Tanner Merrill.
Sophomores: Robert Stroud, Matthew Funez, Kylan Carlos, and Brayden Yorke.
