Cal Lanouette
Sports Editor
Chamber Choir was selected to perform at the state music conference. The choir was one of two 5A schools selected to perform out of 169 applicants.
During the weekend, the conference has scheduled performances from choirs in the state.
“It is very exciting,” said senior Bobby Drexl. “It’s a great opportunity as well as a large responsibility to perform at this conference because we were one of many selected to perform.”
The conference is called the 2015 Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA) Conference, and it is Jan. 28-31. The MMEA is a federated association of The National Association for Music Education (NAFME) according to mmea.net.
The MMEA has held the state music conference each year since 2011 around the end of January. Music teachers from all around Missouri go to “listen to concerts, they’ll go to workshops, clinics and have guest people come in and do a professional development just for music teachers,” according to choir teacher Scott Kinworthy.
The process takes two years to apply and be accepted to perform at the conference.
“Last year’s choir was the recording I sent in to the state, and so last year’s choir did all the work as far as getting us in,” said Kinworthy. “You really have to be good two years in a row to be able to perform at the conference.”
“It’s the highest honor in the state, the highest honor you can achieve,” said Kinworthy. “After this, you’d go to a regional and then a national stage, so for the state of Missouri, there is no higher honor for a choir to get selected.”
