Elementary Festival Honor Choir
The Elementary Festival Honor Choir is an independent honor choir of approximately 180 fourth, fifth and sixth grade students who are selected by recorded audition. The choir meets and performs each year during the annual SDSU Choral Day event.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m.
Concert begins at 4:45 p.m.
Not a ticketed event. Event will not be livestream.
Nomination form will open fall 2025.
- Students must be in the fourth, fifth or sixth grade at the time of audition.
- Students must be recommended by their school music teacher, director or private instructor.*
- Teachers and students must work together to submit an audition form and upload an audio file.
- A $5 registration fee is required of each student who auditions.
- Students chosen to be part of the Elementary Honor Choir must be accompanied by their music teacher on the day of the festival.
- Audio files must be uploaded to the link provided at registration.
Students selected for the Elementary Honor Choir will practice in Brookings during the day and end with a concert in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center. An additional charge of $35 per student is assessed once a student receives notification of acceptance. The charge covers the cost of a T-shirt (worn during the performance), lunch, snack breaks and music. An additional set of music will be provided to each teacher who has students selected.
*Parents are not allowed to submit. Schools of any size (private or public) are able to submit auditions.
Tom T. Shelton Jr. is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he earned both a Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in choral conducting. He is associate professor of sacred music at Westminster Choir College. Focusing on children’s and youth music at Westminster, he teaches classes in conducting, sacred music, music education and coordinates and conducts the Neighborhood Children’s Choir Program. In addition, he is the director of music for Children’s and Youth Choirs at Princeton United Methodist Church.
Shelton has a passion for music education in all areas: church, school and community. He taught middle school choral music in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County for 18 years. During that time he was selected Teacher of the Year for both Atkins Middle School and Kernersville Middle School. In 1999, the North Carolina Music Educators Association presented him with the North Carolina Middle School Music Teacher of the Year award.
Shelton is active with the American Choral Directors Association, currently serving as the national president. Other association leadership positions have included Southern Division president (2011-2012), national R&S chair for middle school/junior high choirs (2007-2009) and North Carolina president (2005-2007).
Shelton has conducted festivals and honor choirs in 20 states as well as Hong Kong. He has conducted choral festivals in Carnegie Hall, honor choirs for the Central Division American Choral Directors Association and Southern Division American Choral Directors Association, as well as all-state choirs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina and South Carolina. He is the series director for the Music for Young Voices Series with GIA Publications and has over 50 compositions published by Choristers Guild, Colla Voce Music, G. Schirmer, Galaxy, GIA Publications, Growing in Grace Curriculum, Heritage Music Press, Hinshaw Music Company, , Santa Barbara Music Press and Walton Music.