The idea of getting up in front of an entire crowd of people and singing the national anthem acapella would be a nightmare for most people. But junior Bella Sliva purposely put herself in that situation by auditioning at the state level to showcase her skills.
“The biggest take away from this experience was gaining more confidence in my singing abilities and being the first student (from Yutan) to be able to sing at state,” Sliva said. “It was a big deal.”
Sliva gained this opportunity through an annual state-wide competition that selects students to perform at the various state sports competitions.
“Every year the NSAA (Nebraska School Activities Association) hosts a Star Spangled Competition, attracting approximately 200 to 300 auditions each year,” choir director Matthew Gunter said. “This competition is open to all students in grades 9 through 12, allowing participants to showcase their talents through solo performances, group singing, instrumental presentations or band performances.”
For Sliva, the process of auditioning started last year when Gunter encouraged his high school choir students to record themselves singing the national anthem.
“Mr. Gunter told me about auditioning to sing at state last year,” Sliva said. “I auditioned for it last year but didn’t get picked. This year I decided to audition again and got picked. It was very exciting news.”
To successfully complete the audition process, Sliva had to obtain a letter of recommendation and meet the recording requirements.
“I had to get a letter from Gunter saying that he had witnessed me sing the national anthem. The letter also had to confirm that I had the abilities for this role,” Sliva said. “I had to make sure I stuck to a specific tempo, performed without any instrumental background and that it was no longer than 70 seconds.”
Although the performance is only 70 seconds, there can be many challenges that come with singing the national anthem.
“One of the primary challenges faced when singing the national anthem includes achieving the correct tempo,” Gunter said. “Additionally, it is crucial to identify the appropriate key tailored to each individual group or soloist.”
Another challenge is gaining the confidence to perform in front of an audience, which is why Sliva performed the national anthem during the sub-district and district volleyball games at Yutan.
“Being able to practice singing in front of that many people beforehand helped,” Sliva said. “After singing that first time at the first game, I got more confident in my abilities and thought to myself that I already got picked to sing—like they liked my audition—so if I just keep practicing the way I sang it, I would be good for when I sang it at state.”
By her fourth performance in Yutan at the district final, the nerves were gone.
“I really just tried to focus on maintaining my consistency in the performance, ensuring the anthem was sung in the same manner as it had been during the previous games,” Sliva said.
As Sliva now had the practice she needed, she faced the new challenge of singing in an unfamiliar environment, the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.
“We needed to grasp the functionality of the microphone system—whether it would be excessively loud when positioned closely or not,” Gunter said. “Ultimately, the final challenge was to avoid psyching ourselves out and to approach the performance with the same professionalism as any other event.”
Sliva sang the national anthem before the first games of Class A on Wednesday, Nov. 6, the opening day of the state volleyball tournament.
“I was really nervous. I was actually really stressed out,” Sliva said. “Because even with all that practice and preparation, I still have never sang in front of that many people before, and it was all so new to me. Still, I was really grateful for the opportunity.”
Sliva felt good about her final performance, creating a personal milestone for herself.
“It was awesome. Probably one of my favorite high school memories was being there and hearing the echo of it when I was singing and how silent it was in that big stadium,” Sliva said.
Gunter was also proud of her performance and is hoping it will inspire others to follow her example.
“I am immensely proud of her composure and professionalism during the performance,” Gunter said. “Her efforts have undoubtedly inspired many of her peers to engage in similar endeavors.”
