Students from the large high schools in Odessa and Midland got an early start on preparing for the all-state audition process during University of Texas Permian Basin’s Large Choir Camp.
The three-day experience includes sectional rehearsals, singing as a group and being directed by some of the most experienced choir directors in the area. There are about 25 students in the camp this year with Permian and Odessa high schools and Midland and Legacy high schools in Midland joining in.
“The students will, over the course of the fall semester, audition several times,” UTPB Director of Community Engagement in Music and Visual Arts Eric Baker said. “We have district region, pre-area and then area competitions. If the students place well enough at all of those auditions, they can earn a spot in the Texas All-State choir.”
Students will find out if they made all-state in January. Choir auditions start in September.
“There’s still quite a ways to go before we’ll know who’s an all-stater, but they started the process early. They’re learning the music right now,” Baker said.
They hired high school choir directors to prepare the students including Stephanie Burton, Christie Lujan, Rob Rodgers and Cody Duff, the new head director at Legacy High School.
“Each of them will teach what we call sectionals. One will take the sopranos, the altos, the tenors, the basses, and the students work in those sectionals for several hours during the day. They come together at the end of the afternoon for a full choir rehearsal. Those are being led by our new Director of Choral Activities Dr. Brad Light. He’s in town for this camp and will be moving over the summer to get local,” Baker said.
Light has been a Lecturer of Music in Choral Studies and Music Education at Texas Tech the last several years.
Baker said the camp is going well, although it just started July 10.
“Most of the camps that we’ve looked at around the state are three or four days max. We want to model what students would get if they were to go to Tech or Baylor or any other school. But it’s close to home. It’s much less expensive, and a lot more accessible for some of the students that are not able to go out of town for other camps,” Baker said.
He added that the camp focuses on the music students are likely to see during the audition process.
“When a student auditions for all-state choir, they have to learn a lot of music. … But they don’t need to learn them all at once. They’ll learn some songs for the district level. Later, they’ll learn more difficult songs for the area level of competition. We get them started early with those pieces that they’re going to see first. So far, lots of smiles. They sound wonderful. The students are singing beautifully even after just the first day of learning the music. The teachers are fun and engaging. I’ve been able to sit in on a few of the sectionals and listen and they all seem to be getting along quite well,” Baker said.
He added that UTPB music students who may eventually want to become choir directors are counselors at the camp.
This is the first time Baker has facilitated a music camp at UTPB, but it is part of his role. As they look to the future, they would like to build a band camp, piano camp, more choir camps, including small school, and maybe even music theory camps.
“I’m not really the content expert in choir music, but I’m just helping to facilitate along with our administrative assistants, Angela Buss and Yvonne Drinkard. Without them, these camps wouldn’t happen. They also help buying food, ordering T-shirts, ordering lunches so that the students can come in, focus on the music, have everything taken care of and go home excited about this audition process,” Baker said.
He added that even if students don’t ultimately make all-state, it’s still a chance to learn and make friends.
“We try to make sure that there’s a positive social element to the camp as well. We want students to remember how much fun they had, not only how much they learned about the music. … Local choir directors will sometimes program some of the music from the all-state collection on their fall concerts, so this also gives a head start for those students who are studying and learning some of that music,” Baker said.
Light said they want to provide a service to the community through the camp and provide something that will help students advance their musicianship.
Lily Windham, 16, who will be a junior at Permian High School, said this is her first choir camp.
“I thought that it was really good. It’s very helpful to learn the music beforehand, because last year, it was hard to get ahead of everybody else for the auditions whenever you’re learning the music at school, so it’s easier to get ahead now and learn it. Everyone’s been so helpful,” Windham said.
She added that she would like to make all-state. Windham said other kids and PHS Director of Choirs Laurie Wash told her the camp would be helpful.
“I made it to area last year. I’m trying to give it that extra push this year to make it,” Windham said.
“My choir director Miss Wash had told us this was a good option because I didn’t have time in the summer to go out of town to the bigger ones. This has been really helpful and it’s been nice to have one-on-one time (for) the directors to work with you,” she added.
Georgina Roacho, a UTPB senior studying music education, is working with the choir camp this year. She previously worked in the small choir camp.
“Working with the large school choir camp has been a whole new experience, but it’s been really fun to get to see the kids because the music for the camps is very different. When I was in high school I was in small school, so getting to experience what large school choir is singing has been really cool,” Roacho said.
