Jessica Hao ’19: Four EA musicians will show off their skills and audition for States at the Regional Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Competition (PMEA) from March 17th to March 19th. PMEA hosts music festivals for bands, choruses, and orchestras of students in tenth through twelfth grade across the United States. Students audition within their district first. The top twenty individuals in their respective groups are then accepted into the District Honors Choir/Orchestra. If the students are selected into Districts, they will have the opportunity to audition for a spot in the top ten and move on to the Regional level. The students who are in Regionals will then have a chance to audition in order to advance into the State level competition. William Patterson ‘16, Michael Wilkinson ‘17, and Greg Smith ‘17 will be advancing to the regional chorus, and James Tang ‘18 will be advancing to the regional orchestra.
The PMEA auditions can be a bit intimidating but are overall an extraordinary experience. Patterson said, “I won’t lie, the audition portion to advance to each level is really nerve wracking. You go into a room with three judges, get one note from a pitch pipe, and then have to sing through three of the acapella songs. But if you can brave that, it’s a fantastic experience. It’s a chance to work with amazing choral directors, talented singers, and perform high level repertoire.” Jim Erwin, Music Department Chair and Choral Director, added “[The students] pick two passages to sing from some of the most difficult repertoire for chorus. Singers get a pitch, and then they sing the passage. Students are not allowed to talk or ask questions.”
Most students leave the PMEA with important takeaways that influence their work in their respective musical genres. According to Patterson, “I certainly have been able to work with performers from other schools at PMEA. It’s really humbling, especially when you advance to the state and national levels, to realize that there are people who are just as good (and often much better) at something you’ve devoted a good portion of your life to.” Wilkinson added, “My favorite part about participating in PMEA is being able to work with skilled guest conductors to perfect difficult and diverse pieces of music.”
Smith further explained, “Through PMEA, I have come to better understand the values of teamwork and listening, improve my sight reading and musical skills, and make friends that I otherwise would have never met.” Tang added, “PMEA does give you the chance to meet kids you haven’t previously known. They are all extremely talented and bright people who all know how to talk the language of music.”
Both Finegan and Erwin greatly enjoy the opportunity that PMEA provides of working with talented students. According to Finegan, “I enjoy helping the students reach their full potential. I have extensive experience playing orchestral music in addition to teaching, so I feel that I can be very helpful as students prepare orchestral excerpts for their auditions. I also enjoy showing them how unbelievably prepared they must be in order to be successful at PMEA festivals. They are treated as professionals, and are expected to perform at an incredibly high level. The audition experience for the students is invaluable, as it teaches them how to prepare and perform under intense circumstances.” Erwin continued, “Since it’s so challenging, I love the fact that students who audition have to learn really difficult music and have to sing without accompaniment.” However, Erwin’s favorite part of the PMEA is “hearing the performance with 180 singers led by an accomplished conductor. It’s a remarkable experience.”