Of the 19 students from Canyon High to audition, seniors Mark Porter, Mia Bonds, Haley Williams, Tobin Brooks, juniors Brennan Copeland, Josh Moreno and sophomore Kelton Harbison earned a spot in the TMEA All-State Choir. They will perform Feb. 15 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.

In order to earn a spot in the choir, members must compete and place at four rigorous levels including: All-District, All-Regions, Pre-Area, and Area. For senior Haley Williams, it has been a four year ordeal.

“I’ve never been in All-State choir before,” Williams said. “I would always get knocked out a round or two before actually making the choir. It’s always such a great choir, and it is something I’ve always been really interested in being a part of because they make really good music.”

Sophomore Kelton Harbison auditioned last year, but like Haley Williams, this is his first year earning a place in the choir.

“I was not expecting it,” Harbison said. “It was a little emotional whenever they called my name for All-State. It was definitely a great feeling hearing all of my friends’ names and my name.”

Harbison said he is excited about the unfamiliar opportunity and learning new things.

“It will definitely be a different experience,” Harbison said. “I’ll get to hear what other people sound like, and I’ll get to work with new directors I haven’t met before. The entire process will be new; it’ll be intense and that will definitely help out for the future.”

Both Williams and Harbison said the trip to San Antonio is something to look forward to.

“You’re traveling to San Antonio, so that’s pretty fun,” Harbison said. “There’s a bunch of people coming from all around the state just for one little convention because they love the same thing you love: music. They are putting their craft out for everybody to see, and that’ll be pretty cool.”

Other than meeting new people and learning how to talk to others, Williams said she has learned to look above the numbers and rankings.

“I think it has really helped me learn not to put all of the value of myself into something that’s ranked like this, because it’s just people’s opinions,” Williams said. “Doing your best is really all that you can do. I’ve gotten a lot better at performing and speaking to people. I’m excited for the trip and meeting new people that are interested in the same things.”

Large School (Mixed)

Baritone

     Josh Moreno (1st)

Small School (Mixed)

Bass

     Tobin Brooks (2nd)

     Brennen Copeland (3rd)

     Kelton Harbison (4th)

     Mark Porter (5th)

Alto

     Mia Bonds (2nd)

     Haley Williams (5th)