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Efland-Cheeks Elementary duo earn spots in NC Elementary Honors Chorus

Two students and teacher standing close together with teacher standing in the middle

Amarah White and Christian Adkins with music teacher Cheri Thomas of Efland-Cheeks Elementary School. Photo: Jala Davis, OCS

 

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Two students from Efland-Cheeks Elementary (ECGE), fifth-grader Christian Adkins and fourth-grader Amarah White, have been selected by the North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA) to join the NC Elementary Honors Chorus this November.

Every year, around 600 students from across the state submit audition recordings for a spot in the Honors Chorus, and 180 students are selected to represent the state through a blind selection process. 

The ensemble of students will perform for families and music educators attending the NCMEA conference at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem. 

In preparation for the concert, the students will memorize their parts and come together over the span of a day and a half to rehearse and perform a full program with guest clinician Maria Peña, associate conductor and director with the Young People’s Chorus of New York City.

Adkins and White took their very first steps on this journey back in the spring, when ECGE Music Teacher Cheri Thomas informed students in the after-school Eagle Chorus about the opportunity. 

Thomas led the chorus through the audition piece, “Sing For Joy” composed by George Frideric Handel (famous for his “Messiah”) and arranged by Linda Spevacek. She admitted that this was a challenging piece to perform.

“It is difficult, it is very difficult. I introduced it, and we sang it in the honors chorus a few times, and then I asked who thought they would like to audition,” she said. 

After those early practice sessions, 11 chorus members told Thomas they were eager to audition, so she sent them home with the piece to work on over the summer.

“When we got back, five students still wanted to audition. Two of them decided that maybe they just wanted to do it for the experience this time but not audition,” Thomas said.

In the end, three students auditioned, and Amarah and Christian were selected.

For music teachers, this annual NCMEA conference is an important time for professional development and connecting with peers around the state.  

For the two students, along with their families and teacher, the trip to Winston-Salem from November 9-10 is a musical journey that will culminate with a noon concert on Sunday surrounded by peers from across the state.

Stay tuned for more updates on this story.

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