At the start of October, the choral groups at OHS set their eyes on All Suburban tryouts. Preparing for the tryout takes place before October 5 and it includes major work and preparation.

To be selected to go to the audition the student must “express interest.” said Mrs. Martin, choir director.

Martin and Mrs. Falloon do a lot of work to make sure that OHS is represented well. “we looked at sight reading and solo singing skills, along with academic grades…”

Every year, a high school hosts the annual  All Suburban Auditions. This year, Parkway North High School were in charge of hosting the students and judges.

If the student performs well in front of Martin or Falloon the student will move to the next level-All Suburban. These judges mostly consist of vocal trainers. When the student walks in the room for the audition they are called by a number and the student will perform. the judges do not know the name, school, or age of the student.  OHS participants will sing a solo for the judges and sight read a piece of music. “ …the student [would not have] seen [the sheet music] before [and will be] given only the scale of which the song was based,” said Martin.

The judges also do not have contact at all with the student. thier backs are turned away at all times and they do not speak to the student. The judges only mark on their scoring sheets. The student will not learn what they got at that moment.

OHS participation and success was outstanding with 35 out of 38 students getting to perform a concert November 2 at Pattonville High School. The performers will spend that day…”with a college professor learning advanced choral skill by rehearsing challenging pieces,” said Martin.

Overall, the OHS choir was thrilled with their representation in the All Suburban Choir and hopes to continue this success in the future years.