Additional opportunities available to the choral music student
- Solo Festivals
Twice each year students have the opportunity to participate in solo festivals. Singers prepare a piece and sing their solo in front of a judge. Festivals are hosted at area high schools, and the judges are voice teachers and choir directors from around the state. This is an opportunity to sing for a person other than your choir director to get another perspective and fresh ideas on improving your voice. Students can choose to participate as a festival participant or a graded participant. Festival participants receive comments from their judge. Graded participants perform a solo and a sight reading passage and receive both comments and a grade.
Small ensembles, such as duets and trios, can also participate at solo festivals.
County festival
The solo festival sponsored by Monroe County is held every January. Some years, students have the opportunity to audition for All-County Chorus at this festival. The A-C Chorus audition is a separate audition from any judged solos.
State festival
The solo festival sponsored by NYS is held in the spring, usually April or May. At this festival students grades 10 & 11 have the opportunity to use their solo as an audition for the All-State Choir (held the following fall). Students who wish to audition for All-State need to sing a specific All-State solo and declare their intention to audition while registering for the solo festival.
Students in grades 9-11 who sing a spring solo have the opportunity to apply for Area All-State Chorus that takes place the following fall. Applications for Area All-State chorus are done in June.
- Honor Choirs
All-County Choirs
All All-County ensembles perform in March (Music In Our Schools Month) and are chosen the previous January. These students represent the best musicians in Monroe County.
Junior High All-County Chorus (grade 7-8): members are chosen by teacher recommendation. The rehearsals and performances take place at a host school
Senior High All-County Chorus (grade 9-12): members are chosen by teacher recommendation or audition. This ensemble performs at the Eastman Theatre.
Area All-State Choir
All Area All-State ensembles perform in November and are chosen the previous June. These students represent the best musicians in an 8 county area (Monroe, Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne).
Both Junior High (7-9) and Senior High (10-12) choirs are chosen by application. The requirements to apply are the previous spring's solo festival score and teacher recommendation. Anyone interested in the Area All-State Choirs needs to have sung a solo at festival the spring before.
All-State Choir
Students in grades 10 &11 are eligible to audition for all-State ensembles. These students represent the best musicians in New York State. The audition takes place at the spring solo festival. Anyone interested in auditioning needs to sign up for the solo festival as an all-state applicant and fill out an all-state application. These students then sing their solo in an all-state room for their voice part. Students are chosen during the summer and are notified during the first weeks of school. All-State ensembles perform at the NYSSMA Convention in November.
- Voice lessons
Voice lessons are not part of our program but are always available in the community. Individual teachers teach out of their homes and major schools (Eastman, Hochstein, Roberts Wesleyan) offer community lessons. Sometimes voice teachers share their contact information with our department; see Mrs. Graham if you would like help finding a teacher.