There’s always a drive to be the best you can at whatever you’re passionate about. If you asked Ankeny choir students why they do the All-State music festival, they would tell you it’s to get better at vocal music.

All-State is a notable accomplishment for Iowa high school students, due to the sheer competitiveness of making the ensemble. It is very difficult to make All-State because you have to study the given music, with you then having to audition for the upcoming concert on Nov. 22 against students across the state of Iowa.

“They have to learn a lot in a short period of time and they are asked to dig in deeper then they normally would in choir,” Choir director Riley Anderson said.

Getting ready for auditions

All-State starts for choir students in the summer during early August, with most of them participating in the Wartburg camp. After completing multiple days of learning more complex music, students then have to continue practicing and eventually audition for quartets for the All-State audition.

“Having an environment and a culture that is supportive and open, just a place that people are comfortable in is important for that growth to be able to happen,” Choir Director Ben Walters stated.

Quartets are how students audition for the upcoming concert. Students are placed with each other to create groups of four based on how each student sounds together.

“The music is just a harder level and we have to really get every minute detail out of the music that we can,” senior Jayden Huegel said

All-State takes time and effort. This is shown through the amount of time students have to put into the process. Students have to work individually on the music, and also work together with their quartet multiple times a week.

While All-State Choir is about vocal abilities, Ankeny has an emphasis on community and building relationships. This helps students get through the All-State process together and this can be seen through the rehearsals and eventually the audition.

Walters makes the students go out together and do bonding activities, as well as potlucks, to help grow as a community, which allows All-State to not be a monotonous process.

“Singing is a more vulnerable thing to do, ” Anderson said. “It’s coming from you, you have nothing to fall back on, or your instrument isn’t broken, you’re the one creating the sound.”

As students continue to learn and grow with their quartets, they then have to prepare for the All-State auditions.

Audition day

Audition day is reportedly the most stressful part of the All-State process, in which students, during the audition, have to sing random cuts. It becomes more challenging due to the students finding out what the cuts are on the day of the audition.

All-State is a competitive process, with difficulty arising from both the musical requirements and the high level of student participation. This makes the auditions make or break. The competition is tight as students from all over the state of Iowa try out. According to the Iowa High School Music Association (IHSMA), 600 students out of over 4,000 students make the ensemble.

Auditions are more than just singing as well. They also take confidence and the ability to know your own vocal part into account. Students must carefully perform each section in detail alongside three peers during the tense audition.

“You sing in front of the judge and that’s it, that’s your audition you only get one try,” senior Jayden Huegel stated.

Audition day continues to be stressful even after your audition. This is due to the results getting revealed at the end of the night. The emotions rapidly continue to be high as people find out how they did during their audition.

“Community is really important even when you don’t make it. There’s always those people who’ll come around you and be there for you,” junior Caleb Crouse said.

Results

According to Ankeny Choral Music, Ankeny had 18 out of 28 students, and one alternate make All-State on Oct. 25.

This is a notable accomplishment for the Ankeny choir program, as selection to All-State is highly competitive. According to the Ankeny Community Schools, approximately only 17 percent of people make All-State. With last season having 22 out of the 28 students making it.

“The most enjoyable part is watching the personal growth that happens,” Walters stated.

As the concert ended, the students who made it had to get ready for the concert with students spending the whole day in Ames on Nov. 21 and Nov. 22. Students then had to learn a new piece of music, and get to perform the music that they have auditioned for.

“Making All-State as a singer is just an extra thing: the amount of growth and the work you put in as a singer through the experience means way more,” Crouse said.

While not all students were selected, many said the process provided significant learning and development beyond their musical skills.

“I’ve been working three years to get here, and when you finally make it’s just the most surreal feeling ever,” Crouse stated.