Hunter Week Six

My PMEA Experience Thus Far

    All across the United States, there are programs titled “*State Name* Music Educators Association'' (ex. PA- PMEA, TX- TMEA), which enables high school musicians to compete and attend prestigious musical conferences. Each state is divided into geographical regions and then further split into districts. In our case, Nazareth Music is involved in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, or PMEA, District 10 and Region 5. As a singer, about 1,000 students audition for the district chorus and only 200 receive a position. Festivals include intense weekends rehearsing difficult music at a hosting high school and spending the nights at a fully rented hotel. Once singers achieve entrance, they must re-audition into regions, which accepts even fewer students. Inevitably, regional musicians audition for the PMEA All-State Chorus, which takes place in a city convention center within Pennsylvania. Only 16 singers from each region are chosen, rendering it quite challenging to get in.

    I tell you all of this as I prepare to audition for the All-State Chorus after auditioning into the groups prior. Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year has not looked anything like others. There are no festivals, in-person auditions, and most importantly, motivation to perfect the grueling audition songs.

    My sister, Megan, was able to get into the All-State Chorus when she was a senior. Not many students in Nazareth have done so, making this a huge deal! Before she became an avid PMEA singer, I had little-to-no interest in putting myself through the painful and dreadful audition process. Once I went to her States concert and heard the song “Let My Love Be Heard,” everything changed. The perfection within each note sung by every single member of the chorus brought me to tears. I am still in awe that my sister was able to create something so serene and beautiful. I love to sing, and being in a group filled with people who will work just as hard as you will is unmatched. I would do anything to be in a chorus that can make music as wonderful and serene as they did.

    To this day, I listen to the voice memo of “Let My Love Be Heard” when I need a reminder of why I began. Though there is no concert, festival, or sense of reward for the hours put into my auditions, I am able to understand the amount of work I will have to repeat next year.

    Although the chances of getting into States are slim, I am so glad to have gone through the process. Managing to rank third in districts and getting through to regions brings me so much joy and satisfaction! Finding motivation when there are no incentives certainly was a challenge, but I can now do so! I hope to experience the magic within conferences and have the opportunity to sing with some of the most dedicated people in the state next year!

Megan and I after finding out she got into States (yes, I am crying) <3