Several local high school music students were chosen to represent their schools at the Pennsylvania Music Educator Association's Allstate Music Festival in April.

Bassoon player Emily Astey of Hickory High School and singers Sean Genis of Sharon High School and Katie Meyer of Greenville High School were among those picked for the four-day festival.

"I was happy, excited and proud," Emily said. "I've been working my butt off on bass for forever and probably would have been disappointed if I didn't get first chair," she said.

This year the PMEA state festival was held at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts in Philadelphia, which is the home of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Vic Ellenberger, choir director at Sharon High School, said there were about 11 schools out of 48 in the district where students qualified for states.

"Sean made up his mind that he wanted to go to states and worked his head off," Ellenberger said of his student.

"It's like a coach having the No. 1 athlete in the state of Pennsylvania. I'm very proud of him and the other students that did so well this year."

It was the second consecutive state festival for Sean, a junior, whose voice qualified for tenor, and who also plays piano and trombone.

It was also the second consecutive year for Katie, a junior and alto in chorus; and Emily, a senior at Hickory High School, who was first chair for bassoon in the state festival band this year and first chair in the orchestra last year.

Emily qualified for state festival after playing first chair at district band at Knoch High School, Saxonburg, Pa. and first in Regional Band at Greater Latrobe (Pa.) High School. She plans to attend Penn State University.

"Playing in Philadelphia was just awesome," said Emily. "You get to meet new kids who are all nice and cool. We were also the first band to ever play on the stage. They have had orchestras, but not a band. Plus we were the first students."

Steve Garay, band director at Hickory High School, said students have to work their way through several other music festivals to qualify for the state festival.

Every student that went to the PMEA state festival performed in the individual group they qualified for: choir, orchestra or band. For the grand finale they all performed "America the Beautiful" together.

"Students have to compete at different levels in order to be eligible. They start at the district level, where three students from Hickory went. How and where you place depends on where you go next," he said.

"(Emily) is the only one who made it through the different levels," Garay said.

Ellenberger said each of the students received medals to acknowledge their accomplishment.

"I think all three of the students from Sharon who went to districts and regionals are the kind of music students that you want. They do 90 percent of the work outside of school and come in and we help refine it," Ellenberger said.

"Next year (Sean) will have to defend his championship," he said.

Next year both Sean and Emily will have the chance to perform in All East Chorus in Providence, R.I. The event brings together the best students from the northeastern part of the United States.