Five Tyrone High School students participated in the PMEA District 6 Music Festival on January 24th-26th at Westmont Hilltop High School. One Tyrone student, senior Jay Isenberg, will advance to the regional round.
“This year is different for me because it’s do or die. This is my last shot and I want to get as far as I can,” said Isenberg, who is a bass one.
In addition to Isenberg, the other Tyrone students were senior Bekah Sprankle, juniors Ethan Cooley, Evan Chichester, and Rosie McKernan, and sophomore Braylinne Shaw.
This year is different for me because it’s do or die. This is my last shot and I want to get as far as I can
— Jay Isenberg
All five made their way through a first-stage audition to reach the district level.
To prepare for districts, the students had to rehearse a folder of challenging music that took weeks to learn. From singing in German to dealing with songs with challenging spacing, the students tried their best to master the music, working in class and in their free time at home.
On the first day of the festival, the students also faced the challenge of auditioning to earn a place in the Regional Festival.
All participants had the option to not move on if they chose not to. If they didn’t want to be considered for the Regional Festival, the judges would remove them from advancing and promote the next person after them. Only the top 12 students from each voice type (soprano 1 and 2, alto 1 and 2, tenor 1 and 2, and bass 1 and 2) move onto the regional round, so it can be quite a challenge and requires some skill to advance on.
When asked about her students getting prepared for districts, Tyrone’s music teacher and chorus director Laura Harris said, “I think they worked hard and tried their best.”
The Region III Chorus Festival will be held at Somerset Area High School from March 6-8, 2024.
