Senior accomplishes Texas All-State Choir goal despite COVID-19 craziness

GROUP CELEBRATION. Senior Julianna Needham stands with directors Laurelyn Korfhage and Ken Labsonski during the class celebration for Needham. Needham is the third student to make it into All State choir from Willis High School.

photo or infographic by Katherine Lee

GROUP CELEBRATION. Senior Julianna Needham stands with directors Laurelyn Korfhage and Ken Labsonski during the class celebration for Needham. Needham is the third student to make it into All State choir from Willis High School.

Walking into the room, she takes a deep breath. Behind the curtain are sitting five judges who have the responsibility of choosing the top choir members in the state. Her heartbeat overpowers the sound of the recording starting. She takes one more breath, and begins to sing. 

Nope. Not this year. There were no judges behind the curtain. There was no waiting until the results were posted. Just a recording sent to judges and a call with the best she could ever imagine. 

Two weeks ago, senior Julianna Needham auditioned for the final round of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), and she found out last week that she made it into the highest ranking choir in the state, the All-State Mixed Choir. In the year of COVID-19, the process was a little different than past years. Choir students recorded their submissions and judges listened and judged accordingly. In the spring of this year, all All-State level members will have a virtual convention to recognize their hard work from this year’s TMEA process. 

“When I found out I made it I was at work and I got two calls from an unknown number,” Needham said. “By the third time I thought I should answer, and it was Mr. Labonski, the head choir director. Labonski then told me that I had not made the All-State treble choir, and I started crying. Then he told me that I had made the All-State Mixed Choir, which is the top choir. Then I cried even more. I felt so grateful to have amazing people like my teachers to support me.”

SURPRISE. After being named All State choir, Needham receives a gift from her directors and fellow classmates. (photo or infographic by Katherine Lee)

 The TMEA process includes students learning complex pieces of music, usually without the help of their conductors, and performing it in front of judges to move to the next level. This means that students auditioning must be self-motivated and put in their own effort in order to advance each year. 

“I started to lose motivation a week before my state audition and it was really hard for me to focus,” Needham said. “But then I fed off of the excitement that Mr. Labonski, Ms. Korfhage, and Mrs. Korfhage had. I wouldn’t have been able to make state without the support of my teacher and friends.”

“Advice for future auditionees: find someone who can tell you the truth and experiment with new techniques,” Needham said. “The process is to learn and grow.”

While the TMEA process lasts only for a year, the years of experience from auditions from previous years. Needham has auditioned since 7th grade, and her junior year she advanced to region, and this year she made it all the way. 

“The stakes were higher this year because it’s my senior year, but I actually felt more relaxed this year,” Needham said. “Call it senioritis, but knowing what the cuts were going to be a few days before the audition made things a lot less stressful.  When it was just hearing the cuts twice and then being expected to sing it perfectly the next hour was so stressful. Now, being able to work on it with my instructors before the audition, I got a lot more attention to detail in.”