PMEA stands for Pennsylvania Music Educators Association and members include anyone engaged in music instruction at all levels in Pennsylvania. All over Pennsylvania, high school musicians prepare for a PMEA Festival that includes choir, band and orchestra. Both this association and the festival are dedicated to promoting the musical development of all students. The festival is held annually, with new rigorous pieces of music each year and a competitive auditioning process.
This year, Sydney Klick, a sophomore, auditioned for the first time for the Choir section of the festival. So far, she has been accepted into the District Choir and Region 1 Choir, and is now trying to make All-State Choir. This experience holds many new opportunities, like expanding music knowledge, learning how to work with different people and meeting musicians from different districts.
Klick shared, “I would describe PMEA as an event to get together and perform with a large group of high school students who share the same interests as you. You get to perform and learn with a completely different group of very talented people. My favorite part is being able to make new friends with the girls that are in my section.”
Many other students at school got to be a part of all of the different sections of PMEA this year. Sophomore Alisabeth Bushko, played her viola with the orchestra, which she enjoyed. She made it to districts, the first stage of the orchestra festival, and hopes to go even further next year.
“The entire district orchestra festival only takes three days from auditions to the concert. For auditions, you definitely need to prepare a lot and make sure you know your music going into it,” said Bushko.
For these auditions, musicians have to learn the difficult music beforehand with the help of their teachers and travel to sing or play in front of the judges that determine whether or not they get to participate in the festival.
Making it into the PMEA Festival and getting to perform at the concerts leading up to it is a big accomplishment, and many more musicians at Trinity were able to do this as well. For the band section, Junior Katie Novogradic, Junior Leah Falvo and Sophomore Jovan Weichel got to participate in the audition process.
Weichel describes it as “difficult, yet rewarding. It really gives you a good idea of your musical ability.”
Next year, Trinity musicians in all areas plan to audition and work toward the goal of performing at the festival.
