Mrs. Eden’s 7^th and 8^th grade choir students competed in their own in-house solo contest this week. The students were assigned an art song or folk song from a prescribed music list at the beginning of the semester and have been working on learning, memorizing, and performing their songs. The contest is modeled after the TAPPS solo contest that the upper school choir students participate in each year. This is great preparation for students who want to go on and participate in upper school in the TAPPS vocal meet. It is also good for students who may have never sung a solo before to have the experience in a safe, encouraging setting. On Tuesday, each student performed his or her solo for a judge, Mrs. Janet Sandifer, who is a well-respected East Texas voice teacher and choir director. Mrs. Sandifer offered both positive encouragement and helpful critiques on how to improve. The students were rated on not just their singing ability, but posture, confidence, volume, and overall presentation.  Just as in the TAPPS competition, the students received a rating of a I (Superior) or a II (Excellent). 26 students received Superior ratings and 5 received Excellent ratings.  After the contest, the judge was very complimentary of the students’ preparation and of how much talent we have in our middle schoolers.  She was quite impressed with the level of confidence and skill they showed.  In all, it was a very positive learning experience for these young singers!