I really enjoy hiking. It always holds challenges and obstacles; but I also find it provides wonderful and beautiful surprises. Often at the pinnacle of the hike, you are rewarded with an amazing view or a glorious sight that few people see if they do not risk the challenge. You have to be prepared if you are going to get the most out of a hike. I find that a hat, proper shoes, water - lots of water - a good walking stick, a camera, and knowledge of the trail are just a few things that make a hike more enjoyable. Hiking tends to evoke a "Wondrous Cool Thou Woodland Quiet" sort of feeling for me. It allows time for reflection and connection to things that are real. During a recent hike, in one of our beautiful Kansas state parks, there was a challenge I had not quite bargained for - the extreme heat; however, being prepared and knowing what to do prevented any dire consequences.

Teaching a middle level choir is a lot like hiking. It holds challenges and obstacles, and wonderful and beautiful surprises. The pinnacle moments are few, but so worthwhile. The better prepared we are, the more enjoyable the experience. Know your students, their abilities and dreams; have goals to push them further and harder than they believe they can go. Understand the young voice, treat it with care and respect; and be very familiar with the literature you plan for them to sing. Evoke a mood in your classroom that touches their spirits and allows them to reflect, while keeping your spirit invigorated at the same time. Be prepared for those unexpected challenges, that way you, too, will avoid any undesired consequences.

One of those pinnacle moments for your students should include an audition and participation in the All-State Middle Level Choir. David Brunner, our conductor/clinician for the 2012 choir, has selected the following wonderful repertoire for our young Kansas singers.

• "Zion's Walls," Aaron Copland, SATB, Boosey & Hawkes, #48003920
• "sun, moon, stars, rain," David L. Brunner, SATB, Boosey & Hawkes, HL#48020620
• "Spiritual Musick," David L. Brunner, SSA, Boosey & Hawkes, HL#48020980
• "Show-Down," Dan Davison, TTB, Walton Music Pub, HL#08501790
• "A Garden Of My Own," Patricia McKernon Runkle, SSAB, Boosey & Hawkes, HL#48020881
• "Walk in Jerusalem," Rollo Dillworth, SATB, Hal Leonard, #08744360

Please incorporate the audition piece "Dona Nobis Pacem" into your daily warm up to help prepare your singers as much as possible. The audition keys for it are different this year, so use care to record your singers in the proper keys: Soprano - key of A-flat, Alto - key of F, Tenor - key of C, and Bass - key of E. All guidelines for submission, and scores for the audition piece, are available on the KMEA website. Check the website frequently for updates and pertinent information related to this choir.

The deadline for audition material submission and online application submission is Friday, October 7, 2011. The audition fee remains at $5.00 per student and needs to be submitted in a timely manner. When paying by check, please combine all student fees into one check. If paying with a PO, please meet the October 7 deadline.

How can you help your singers be better prepared to avoid lower scores or disqualifications during the audition process? Here come those challenges and obstacles! Below are a few tips to avoid the most common mistakes:

• Use proper vowels: Improper vowel shapes greatly impact the singer's intonation.
• Watch those leaps: Singing an inaccurate pitch on the ascending leaps places the singer under pitch - often forcing her or him into a modulation.
• Careful with the breathing: Try 4 measure phrases - this really helps the expression score.
• Keep it steady: Fluctuation in tempo is interpreted as fluctuation in rhythm.
• Look out for those downhill runs: Each pitch should be cleanly and clearly articulated, no sliding please.
• Complete the 8th: Descending octaves are easy to miss.
• One note, one singer: A single pitch is all that is allowed to be on the recording before the student begins to sing - allow the pitch to decay/cease prior to the student beginning to sing.
• A few general hints: no teacher support (i.e. singing or humming along); start on the correct pitch; label the recording properly; no mixed recordings; do not record in a lively, reverberant space - it really does not cover up mistakes or improve the sound of the voice; and be sure the singer knows the audition piece.

The following policy will be carefully enforced this year: Auditions submitted to BOTH KCDA Treble Choir and KMEA All-State Middle Level Choir will be disqualified. Students choosing to audition must select, with assistance from their teacher, only one choir for which they will audition. Students submitting to both choirs will not be adjudicated.

Audition submissions will be adjudicated on Saturday, October 29, 2011, at Santa Fe Trail Middle School in Olathe. Please indicate your interest in assisting with this process on your student's online application.

Make this a pinnacle year for your middle level singers! Take them to the waterfall, the mountaintop view, the breathtaking moment - wherever it is that touches their hearts and yours.