Dexter, Missouri - Choir students under the direction of Jamie Sepulvado from Dexter High School, T.S. Hill Middle School, and Central Elementary traveled to Jefferson City, Missouri to sing with other students selected from all over the state for Missouri Choral Directors Association (MCDA) Honor Choir.
Students submitted recordings to the Missouri Choral Directors Association chair.
"These selected students auditioned by recorded voice submission in March to be selected fro this summer's Honors Choir," commented Dexter Public Schools Choral Director. "Out of hundreds of entries Dexter had 9 students from grades 7th and 8th to be selected for this choir."
Once student heard they were chosen to represent their school, the real work began. Students practiced weekly during the summer to learn and memorize the pieces for the Honors Choir concert.
"They worked really hard during the summer," continued Sepulvado. "They represented us well by being leaders in the rehearsals. I am very proud of their achievement. These students are my future/present choir leaders. They are dedicated, intelligent, and willing to work for perfection."
The concert was presented on Wednesday, July 19th in the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City, Missouri.
"Dr. Andrea Ramsey was their choral conductor. She enjoys a national presence as a composer, conductor, scholar, and music educator. Her teaching experiences range from work with adolescent and children’s voices to high school and collegiate voices. She enjoys regular opportunities to conduct all-state and divisional level honor choirs, festival events at Carnegie Hall, and serves as a principal conductor for the Pacific International Young Women’s Choral Festival in Eugene, Oregon. Before leaping into full time composing and guest conducting, Andrea held positions in choral music education and conducting at The Ohio State University, and the University of Colorado Boulder, respectively. An ASCAPlus award-winning composer, Andrea has approximately 90 choral works in publication and believes strongly in supporting living artists through the creation of new works. Her compositions have led to residency collaborations with the Allegro Choirs of Kansas City, Ithaca College, and the Crescent City Choral Festival in New Orleans. As a scholar, she has presented for state, divisional, and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, the 6th Annual International Symposium on Sociology in Music Education, and at the Phenomenon of Singing Symposium in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. She has authored and co-authored articles published in the Choral Journal, as well as the Journal of Research in Music Education. A native of Arkansas, she has experienced in her own life the power of music to provide a sense of community, better understanding of our humanity, and rich opportunities for self-discovery."
From left to right front row Jeb Hubbard, Gerica Harris, Tristin Pullum, Mia Williams, Keiton Buck. Back row Tucker Kyle, Drake Channell, Gabe McGhee, and Justin Viers.
