Several groups of St. Michael-Albertville students sang their way to the top last month, making it to Minnesota's Honor Choir.

STMA had 16 of its students from various grades make it to the choir, along with other top student singers from around the state who were selected. The choir performance took place at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi in November.

"Honor Choir is basically like going to state for basketball or any other sport, only for choir," explained Tina Lajko, STMA Middle School East choir director. "Students from all across the state of Minnesota send in their auditions..."

Students sent audition recordings to the American Choral Directors Association of Minnesota (ACDA), which in turn selects 150 girls for the 7-8 Girls ACDA Honor Choir and 125 boys for the 7-8 Boys ACDA Honor Choir from the state.

"In order to be selected, students must record a scale and sing through a pre-determined segment of music," Lajko said. "There is a 'cap' as to how many students can be selected from each school."

St. Michael-Albertville Middle School West was one of eight schools in the state that sent the cap number of students allowed to Honor Choir in the 4-5-6 Elementary section.

For the 7-8 Girls Honor Choir section, St. Michael-Albertville Middle School East had so many top auditions that the number selected from the school went above the cap. Seven girls were selected, while the cap is five.

Lajko received this email from the ACDA explaining the selection:

There have been some questions as to why your school got 7 in...my answer has been the following:  That school had so many kids in the top 25 in each section [Soprano 1, Soprano 2, and Alto voice parts], that it didn't seem right to cut kids rated 21st and replace them with a singer ranked 61st.

Last year, both STMA middle schools had the maximum representation to the state choir based on their auditions.

"It was an unbelievable representation, as only 19 other schools across the state of Minnesota could claim such representation," Lajko said. "Only five other schools across the state had the maximum number of guys and girls selected from one institution, such as Middle School East."

The 16 STMA student representatives to the state level honor choirs this year were:

Middle School West for the 7-8 Girls Honor Choir:

• Hope Lindenfelser

Middle School West for the 4-5-6 Children's Honor Choir:

• Nathan Meyer
• Kacey King
• Kendall Kneefe
• Isabella Carpenter
• Ellie Thiner

Middle School East for the 7-8 Boys Honor Choir

• Ethan Bell
• Jared Wright
• Sam Ronyak

Middle School East for the 7-8 Girls Honor Choir

• Ellie Johanson
• Maren Hamann
• Mallory Rabehl
• Kali Johnson
• Maddie Peterson
• Jessie Camp
• Mackenzie Hodge