The East Jessamine High School choral program has been selected to perform at the 2019 Kentucky Music Educators Association Conference in Louisville in February.

In his third year teaching for EJHS, Director of Choirs Demetrius Walker said he looks forward to his students having fun and enjoying the process as the conference approaches.

“We are extremely fortunate to have this opportunity and I want them to have fun while being the best versions of themselves,” Walker said.

Scheduled for Feb. 6 to 9, the EJHS choral program will perform at conference at 1:50 p.m., Feb. 7 in the Cathedral of the Assumption.

“Each year, schools from around the state send in recordings and a listening committee listens to them blindly and they selected the top choirs from five different categories,” Walker said. “We were fortunate to be submitted. This is actually the third time in school history. Mrs. Ellen Crawford took a choir in 1999 and 2001.”

Consisting of 2,000 professional music educators from kindergarten to university, KMEA is an organization dedicated to the cause of music education in Kentucky. The organization maintains an active involvement with the Kentucky Coalition for Arts Education, who is affiliated with groups such as the Kentucky Art Education Association; the Kentucky Theater Association; the Kentucky Association for Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and the Kentucky Center all of which are dedicated to the improvement of arts education throughout the Commonwealth.

“The EJHS choral program is growing,” Walker said. “Before I came here three years ago, the program only had 22 students. Now we have just under 100. We have two choirs during the day and two after-school ensembles.”

Walker said while this performance is the highest honor any choir can receive in Kentucky, he strives to make sure his students become the best version of themselves while also remembering the EJHS choir motto, “great music, better people.”

“I think my students have a lot of heart,” Walker said. “They really do everything in their power to take the music and make it their own. I feel like the music I have picked, and our program theme will highlight the best of our choir program.”

Walker said students will learn the majority of the music the first semester and polish during the second semester this school year. With every student standing out in their own way, Walker said he cannot point out one in particular who stands out greater than the other because every student in his program is special.

“We are extremely grateful for the opportunity,” Walker said. “Please come out and support these awesome students in our concerts or be a sponsor for the choir program. We can’t do what we do without community support.”

To support the EJHS choral program, contact demetrius.walker@jessamine.kyschools.us or ejchoirboosters@gmail.com.