The journey to All-State Choir starts with a single step, and Sherman High School students took that first step and more at auditions for All-Region Choir last week. Making the cut were sophomore Tevan Collins and senior Colman Scheibmeir.

“I’m really proud of them and all my students,” said Heidi Scheibmeir, SHS Choir Director. “What I loved was their good attitude, especially from my freshmen and sophomores. It was hard, but they were encouraged to try to do it next year.”

Auditions were held in two phases for Region 25, the music region Sherman resides in, due to its large number of students, and only the top 15 advance to perform in the All-Region Choir on Nov. 5. Colman and Collins placed sixth and 14th respectively.

“It’s nice when you get that one chance to show off the piece you’ve practiced for months and then make the All-Region Choir,” said Colman, who is Mrs. Scheibmeir’s son. “It’s very accomplishing.”

After the All-Region Choir concert, Colman and Collins will perform in the Pre-Area auditions.

“They’ll compete for the top five spots,” Mrs. Scheibmeir said. “Those five go to All-Area auditions, and if you get through that, then you make All-State Choir.”

Competition even at the Region level is fierce, and it only becomes tougher the higher up a singer goes. Collins was anxious about making the cut against singers from the larger 6A schools.

“When I found out, it was a big relief off my shoulders,” Collins said. “I was stressing because my sight-reading was a little rough.”

While not advancing to Pre-Area auditions, sophomore Alivia Bryson made the 9/10 Honor Choir, a choir reserved for freshmen and sophomores who did well in their auditions. Bryson said she felt a bit nervous at All-Region auditions, but the challenge of learning new songs was a welcome one.

“I also met new people,” she added. “I met people from my voice section, and they were sweet and helped me with different things.”

The Honor Choir will perform alongside the All-Region Choir on Nov. 5, and Mrs. Scheibmeir thinks the exposure will be good for her singers.

“That’s going to be such a great experience,” she said. “They get to go do a clinic with wonderful directors from different schools, and the concert that night will be great.”

And Mrs. Scheibmeir is talking from personal experience as an SHS Choir alumna. While she’s not only taken the same journey as her singers, she also taught some of them at Sherman Middle School, where she had worked as the choir director until last year.

“It’s been neat to see how they’ve grown and to work with them again,” Mrs. Scheibmeir said. “The seniors I have this year I had as seventh graders the first year I came in.”

 It’s been years since SHS had a All-State Choir member, but Mrs. Scheibmeir is hopeful.

“We’re sight-reading every morning before school,” she said. “We’re doing after school rehearsals.”

Whatever the result is come November, Mrs. Scheibmeir knows her two singers have been practicing constantly and appreciates that.

“If Colman and Tevan don’t move on this next round, that’s OK,” she said. “I can see how hard they’re working, and I’m super proud of them.”