by Graham Davis

The nerves hit many kids across the state on Oct. 25, when students from all over got ready to try
their luck at All-State auditions. PCM band students sophomore Rachel Stafford and junior Max Van Gorp and PCM choir students sophomore Graham Davis and seniors Rachel Peter and Audrey Vriezlaar tried out for this All-State music festival. All-State is a selective honor choir held in November after auditions which are held in mid- to late-October in their different regions. For the PCM students, they were held in Indianola. After months of practicing and becoming more and more nervous for the day, no one from PCM made the cut into the concert.
“Even though I didn’t make All-State, I thought yesterday went really well. I had a good audition, and as a sophomore, I was looking to get the experience and get comfortable with the process,” Stafford said. “I became a better musician by just trying out, and that was always the goal. I will definitely try out again.”
This meant the last time auditioning for the two senior choir members.
“Auditioning for All-State has been such an amazing experience these past three years,” Peter said. “I’ve gotten to know so many different people and have had some amazing memories. I’ve become a much better musician because of it.”
The students received their music pieces in August to practice for two months before tryouts. They worked hard for those two months, with the choir students coming in to school early several days of the week to practice with each other and Director Ms. Meredith Blankenheim. Also, the band students took their music home almost every night to practice. They also took in extra lesson time with their director, Mr. Ben Varner.
“Even though the students weren’t selected, they auditioned well,” Blankenheim said. “I’m incredibly proud of them.”