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On Friday, November 1st four AHS choir members attended the South Dakota All State Choir in Sioux Falls. The South Dakota All-State Choir is one of the most prestigious musical events in the state, drawing talented young vocalists from across the region to perform in a collaborative, high-level choral ensemble containing about 950 students. Every year the kids learn one of the All-State music pieces to try out on. They perform the piece in a quartet in front of the whole choir, with a judge who picks the top two from each singing part. The four who perform the best are the All-State members, while the other four are the alternates. This year, the All-State members were Erica Cahoy(soprano), Kinley Doom(alto), Jaydon Driesen(tenor), and Lance Odens(bass). The alternates were Lexi Vanderlei(soprano), Kaydence Metzger(alto), Trevor Eggers(tenor), and Devin Rucktaeschel(bass). This year, the All-State Choir performed at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls. They spent both Friday and Saturday in intense rehearsals, having sporadic breaks in-between. The director was Dr. Michael Hanawalt from Florida State. Hanawalt was the arranger of the song Auld Lang Syne, one of the songs the choir performed. This proves to be one of the reasons being a part of this group can be so rewarding and such an awesome opportunity. On top of this, getting to sing with an auditioned high school orchestra was the cherry on top! When asking the All-State members what their favorite part about All State, they had various responses. Kinley Doom stated, “This is my second year getting to attend the AllState Choir event. It has been a life changing experience, and I learned many new things. The main thing that All State has taught me is self-confidence. Being selected to be a part of the All-State choir is a significant achievement. Knowing that I was selected to represent AHS instilled a great sense of pride and accomplishment.” Jaydon Driesen responded with” My favorite part about this experience is getting to sing with the orchestra, it was such a great experience. I also loved getting to meet with our director.” Erica Cahoy said, “My favorite part was getting directed by different people to see their different ways of conducting.” Lance Odens responded, “Getting to learn new things from the director.”