The sound of voices echoed through Aurora High School as the MSHSAA Choir Competition kicked off. About 100 students from Nixa High School went to compete on March 7; out of those students, 97 made it to state. 

   Each school is only allowed 55 entries including solos and ensembles. Students had to show their dedication, persistence, and drive to compete. 

   “We had over 70 people sign up just for a solo,” assistant choir director Jennifer Stammers said. “So actually, this year we had every student that signed up do a solo recording of their song. We gave them a song, they had to learn it, they sent us a submission, and this year we sent it off to a judge in St. Louis who listened to all of those recordings and was able to select the students that were able to go to districts.” 

   After being chosen to compete, students were put into ensembles or solos. When working in ensembles, students have to work together to be able to recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses. 

   “I know some people struggle with some things, so I’ll sing a bit louder to get them on track,” senior Travis Parker said. “We used to switch out [the words] mother and father at this one part[of a song]. So I would try to emphasize the F to get everybody to know we are saying father.” 

   Students are graded on a 1-point scale, with 1 being the highest score and 3 being the lowest score. When students received their scores, there were specific requirements that had to be achieved while performing. 

   “My ensemble did really good on tuning with each other and our rhythm,” Junior Molly Vaughan said. “Our judge also said that we were the first group to give her chills. [We] did good on tuning into each other.” 

   For students who went to this competition, their day started at 6:30 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m.

   “We had our 40-minute drive to Aurora, ” said Vaughan. “We all got set up in the cafeteria. Then we just kind of had to wait until our assigned time. Before that, you would go warm up, you would go sing through your songs with your group or by yourself. Whenever you go into the room, you state your name and where you’re from, the songs and then, [you] sing all the stuff. After about like an hour or two, your results will come through on what you’ve got as your rating, then you get to go home.” 

   State is the highest a student can go for competition. Students who made it worked hard for many weeks to do their best at state. 

   “When they’re at districts, they have to earn a gold rating which is the highest rating you can get, and that qualifies them for state,” Stammers said. “Then when they go to state, that’s kind of the end game. They sing their solos or their ensembles again for a judge, and if they get a gold at state, they earn a medal and certificates, and great recognition. It is significantly harder to get gold at state.”

   The state competition was an overnight trip, held at the University of Missouri, in Columbia, Missouri. 

   “Going to state is gonna be a really cool experience,” Stammers said.