Canyon choir students earned 71 gold medals at the UIL Solo and Ensemble competition Feb. 20 with multiple soloists and ensembles qualifying for the state competition in May.

In order to qualify for the state competition, the soloist or ensemble must perform a class one song and receive a first division. Songs are divided into class by difficulty with three being the easiest and one being most complex. Students perform their song in front of a judge who then gives them a score ranging from first to fifth division.

“A first division is superior in every way,” choir director Brandon Farren said. “Receiving a one means the language and pronunciation were on point, intonation and rhythms were perfect, the song was memorized and it was musical.”

Canyon earned 28 first division solo medals and 43 individual first division ensemble medals from seven ensembles. Every Canyon student scored either a first or second division.

“Our goal as a choir to walk away with nothing less than a second division for anyone,” Farren said. “I am proud of our students for making that happen.”

Students received their music at the beginning of January, worked individually, with Farren and their accompanists four to five weeks in preparation. Farren said a first division required a great amount of work.

“The biggest difference between first and second division is that your performance is musical in nature,” Farren said. “You could not just sing through it. You had to go the extra mile to make it a musical performance.”