The Ayala High School Choral Program has a rich history of award-winning groups. It features three choirs: the Vocal Ensemble, Men’s Ensemble, and Women’s Ensemble, all part of the Ayala Concert Choir. Over the years, these groups have consistently received ‘Superior’ ratings at Southern California Vocal Association festivals and ‘Gold’ ratings at Heritage Festival competitions. Every December, they put on a Renaissance-themed dinner show called ‘Madrigal Feaste,’ which has been a beloved community event for 19 years. In February, they host a Benefit Concert to raise money for local charities. Finally comes the choir auditions, which occurred from Monday, April 14, to Saturday, April 24 where students of all grade levels were able to test their skills and join Ayala’s choir program.
Mr. Robert Davis, the choir teacher, is the one who created the audition process. He uses auditions to place students in a section that is most appropriate for their skill set. The realistic term that would be used is “placement.” He wants to find ways for students to show what they know and what they don’t know, to be able to show what their experience level is, so he knows which class is going to be the best fit for them for the next year.
“If people want to join the choir, I will take them in happily,” said Mr. Davis. “This is to figure out which class is going to challenge them, but not overwhelm them. I always want to put students in a position to succeed.”
As intimidating as the process may sound for some, it is not as bad as they think it is. The main skills or qualities for future advanced choir students are just having a good attitude and a good work ethic while there are other expectations for the students who have been in the program longer, which are the ability to match pitch, how to read music, and more. A common misconception is that people have to already know how to read music or have to be a fantastic singer before they walk into the choir room. If students come in and they have no experience, but they have a great attitude and they’re willing to work to learn those skills, then they’re welcome in.
Previous auditionees share similar feelings from the first time they auditioned for the program. Some had no previous music experience, so auditioning for the choir teacher was really scary, but overall everyone was so glad they did. Some didn’t make it in the advanced classes the first time, they stayed in mixed choir which taught them a lot, so they felt like they were set up very well for auditions the following year.
“I felt that the audition process was straightforward and easy to understand,” said Luna Maciel (10), an auditionee from this year. “I felt that I knew what to prepare for. The only thing I found challenging was sight reading but that’s due to the fact that I’m fairly new to reading music.”
Davis has the seniors that are about to graduate every year put on an audition workshop where they help all of the underclassmen and the incoming freshmen prepare for auditions. They walked through the entire process and helped show the newcomers what everything is supposed to look like in the auditions and other performances. Choir students would also sit outside every day during auditions to cheer people on as they walked into and as then walked out from their audition just to show the culture of the program, which is very supportive. Then, a callback workshop happens to help students learn the callback music.
“We just recently had an audition workshop that was run by the current senior so anyone auditioning could come for help and we would do our best to provide information and help for them,” said JJ McDonald (12), one of the advance choir members.
The goal of choir is to encourage students to hone their skills and make new friends and build a community. It’s okay to not know everything because the purpose is to learn. Choir members advice to be yourself and know that it is okay to be nervous.
“The main takeaway I hope that the people who audition will get is that the choir is not as scary as it may seem on the outside. They feel like that’s a terrifying thing in front of your peers, and if you’re not super comfortable singing already that can be a terrifying thing,” said Davis. “I hope that what they take away from the process is that everybody can sing, the choir is for everyone and even if you make a mistake, you’re gonna have a group of people in that room that are gonna support you and cheer you regardless they’re gonna get better.”
So, for those incoming freshmen and underclassmen who want to join the advanced classes, there is always room to grow and develop. Remember, the people in choir are your friends, not your enemies.
