Senior Shines with Florida All-State TTBB High School Chorus
We are incredibly proud of senior Conor Powell, who recently performed with the All-Sate TTBB Choir that brought together some of the most talented high school singers across Florida. Reflecting on the experience, Conor shared that the highlight was performing "If You Can Walk, You Can Dance," complete with a fun choreographed dance.
Preparing for the audition took dedication, from practicing sight-singing and musicianship tests to mastering vocal pieces with baritone tracks. The hard work paid off, as Conor described the experience as both enriching and rewarding, offering the chance to improve his skills and connect with fellow singers who share his passion for music.
Bravo, Conor! If you would like to read more about his experience or see more photos from the performance, please click the headline or "read more."
Q&A with Ms. Esposito and Conor Powell '25
What was the most memorable moment for you during the All-State TTBB Choir experience?
What was the most memorable moment for you during the All-State TTBB Choir experience?
- The most memorable experience for me was at the performance when we were all singing “If You Can Walk, You Can Dance”. The director, Mr. Brown, had us do a whole choreographed dance where each section did whatever dance they wanted (the bass 2's, I believe, did the macarena). It was fun and made the experience very unique and enjoyable.
How did you prepare for the audition process, and what was the most challenging part?
- I prepared for the musicianship test by doing a practice test at home. I prepared for sight singing by practicing past tests and sight singing pieces at home and at school sometimes. The most challenging part was easily the sight singing: I’m not good at it, but I did well enough to pass.
- For the vocal quality test, we were given the pieces we had to sing and I practiced by continuously listening and singing to the audio tracks with the baritone part turned off.
What was it like performing with such a large and talented group of TTBB singers?
- It was rewarding and fun for me since the STEDS baritone/bass section is low, so it was good to be able to improve my singing and perform with different people outside of school. It was an enriching experience.
Did you connect with other singers during the event? How did those interactions influence your experience?
- I made some friends, some of whom I recognized from the audition! It made the experience better for me since I could talk to others and learn about their backgrounds in music. It makes the experience amazing when you can converse with others over a shared interest - that being, singing.
What advice would you give to someone preparing for their first All-State Choir Audition?
- If you’re auditioning for All-State, there are a couple of things I’d recommend. For the musicianship test, use the Florida All-State website (https://fva.net/all-state/) to find resources to help practice the music theory. I would specifically recommend practicing using past musicianship tests to get a feel for what the test is on the day of the test. They also have some sight-signing practice music sheets that you can use; if you don’t remember a note, go back and sing it with the piano then try again without it. That’s what I did, anyway. Do as many of those practice sheets as you can in all of the keys they have there. Focus on getting through the musicianship test first, then focus on sight singing. When you pass the musicianship and sight singing tests, for vocal quality, buy the tracks for the pieces and run through all of the songs entirely because, for the vocal quality test, you won’t know which three songs or excerpts you’ll sing (except for an announced one they’ll have on the website) until the day of.
©2019 Saint Edward's School, all rights reserved