Every year, the choir goes to the MSHSAA state choir competition to compete as a group. Soon after, Knightsound goes to their solo and ensemble competition. Well the time of year has come for the Choir teacher Lorraine Smith and her choir students to prepare for the two competitions.

On Wednesday, March 4, all auditioned choir (Knightsound, treble choir, concert choir, and men’s choir.) went to Fort Zumwalt South for the MSHSAA state choir competition. Each choir performed and competed against multiple other schools. Each group was required to sing two songs that contrasted to each other. They were judged by judges, who are typically retired music teachers. They were scored on a scale of one to five, with one being the best, and five being the worst.

“You have to sing two songs that are kind of opposite of each other,” said junior Knightsound member Marissa Meyers. “One song has to be slow and about love, and the next song has to be fast and about fighting.”

All of choir did very well in the competition, with almost all groups scoring a one.

The final scores are as following:

Chamber choir (Knightsound): One

Treble choir: One

Concert choir: One

Men’s choir: Two

“It’s better than what we’ve done in the past,” said sophmore Treble choir member Hannah Medlin. “We did a lot better than we thought we would.”

On the following Saturday, March 7, Knightsound will be going on their solo and ensemble competition, hosted at Fort Zumwalt East.

Knightsound is a group of 20 students with above-average singing skills. It’s an extracurricular activity where the students perform at concerts and competitions outside of school.

“It’s 20 kids this year, but next year there’s going to be more,” senior Knightsound member Dakota Turnbull said. “It’s sort of like the variety version of choir.”

In this competition, students will sing a solo in front of one judge either on their own, or in small ensembles of up to nine. Like the State Choir competition, they must sing two contrasting songs, and they will be scored on a scale of one to five. Students who score a one are eligible to go to state, which takes place at Mizzou during the first week of May.

“In the solo and ensemble, the kids are really in control of their own outcomes with practicing at home,” Choir Teacher and Knightsound Coach Lorraine Smith said. “Sometimes they get nervous. They spend all this time practicing and working with an accompanist, and then they get up there in front of the judge, and sometimes their nerves can take over.”

Smith has been practicing with her students constantly as they get closer and closer to both competitions, hoping to do their best.

“We’ve been practicing during class, after school, and on the weekends,” Turnbull said.