Diamonds in the Rough: Shaping an All-State Singer

For high school choral singers, there is nothing quite like the All-State process.  Aside from the incredible competition from fellow singers, it is the Olympics of singing.  You know how dramatic finishes are in the Olympics, with milliseconds separating gold and silver?  This is exactly what happens in the All-State audition.  Everyone who makes it past the preceding three auditions to get to this final round is an exceptional singer.  So when you put all these fantastic singers before the audition panel, the scores reflect the high quality of singers: what separates the best (1st Chair) from the 1st Alternate (9th Chair) is razor-thin margins.  And just like the Olympics: they are no do-overs or rematches.  You get one shot, and it doesn't matter how good or prepared you are, if you mess up, better luck next year!

As an experienced voice teacher, I've come to the conclusion that the qualities that separate an All-State singer from others is similar to other endeavors in life: the best have a great mix of talent, hard-work, luck, good attitude and healthy self-esteem.  Out of all these qualities, however, the least important is talent.  As someone who has heard literally thousands of young singers, I can tell you that talent is remarkably spread out across the state.  You find TALENTED singers in every school, that when you hear them, you think they will achieve great things.  Yet most of these singers won't make it All-State.  Why?

Talent is like the phrase "a diamond in the rough."  Diamonds are essentially highly compressed carbon that forms over a VERY, VERY long time.  To become a diamond, carbon dioxide has to be heated under extreme temperatures and under high pressure, and then quickly rushed to the surface to cool (thank you science teachers!).   For singing, talent is the carbon dioxide: lots of singers have it, but it isn't all that special.  However, once the right amount of effort, determination, and luck are applied, great things can happen.  Those singers, the ones who shape their talent into a finely-tuned instrument, can make All-State.

Good luck, break a leg, and In Bocca Al Lupo, All-State Auditioneers!

DWS