Ethan's Michael Freeman takes vocal talents to National FFA Chorus

Oct. 31—INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Tens of thousands of FFA students from around the country are descending on Indianapolis, Indiana, this week. As part of the 96th National FFA Convention and Expo, the students will take part in a number of activities and presentations, including awards presentations and hearing from distinguished speakers.

Michael Freeman, a senior from Ethan High School, is one of those students, and he will be taking part in a unique aspect of the event — he'll be performing for his fellow attendees as a tenor with the National FFA Chorus, the second time he has done so in two years.

"I just feel incredibly honored, just having this chance not many kids get to have," Freeman said. "Being in it one time is quite an honor, but a second time is amazing."

The National FFA Chorus is made up of approximately 80 students from around the United States and requires a rigorous audition process for membership. Students have to create a portfolio demonstrating their singing abilities on certain songs. From there, students are informed if they made the cut.

Freeman has made that cut twice now after auditioning somewhat on a whim last year.

"We just found out about it on the website and said I might as well try out. It was $40 to try out, and we thought, 'The worst thing that could happen is that we wasted $40,'" Freeman said. "But I got an email and it said I was accepted."

Freeman, son of Orin and Karen Freeman, said he's had an interest in singing since he was young. He performed with the Mitchell Area Children's Choir from third through eighth grade and has sung with choirs at his school.

He said he enjoys the process of a large group of people coming together to create a musical experience, blending the voices of many into a unified sound. That's particularly true with the National FFA Chorus, which he said is made up of extremely talented vocalists who know their way around sheet music.

That results in some moving musical pieces, he said.

"(I love) the way everyone shares their talents and their passions, just the blending of voices when everyone comes together and sings," Freeman said. "It gives me goosebumps every time we sing here."

Susan Roudabush, FFA adviser for the Ethan School District and a transplant to Ethan from the east coast, started the Ethan FFA chapter when she arrived at the school in 2020 and has since built an active organization roster of around 40 students. She said in 30 years of teaching FFA in places like North Carolina and Virginia, Freeman is the first student she has ever had to qualify for the National FFA Chorus.

Freeman was one of the freshmen who joined FFA in her first year, and she said he's done a great job of taking his talents to the next level and seizing a unique opportunity to perform on a national stage.

"(The chorus) is selected out of anybody who applies throughout the United States. It's quite an honor," Roudabush said. "It was intimidating (for him) to begin with. He was up there in front of 60,000 people at a time, but it's magical."

The chorus will perform five pieces for the audience throughout the convention, which runs from Nov. 1-4, including medleys of well-known pop songs and numbers that involve rhythmic clapping and stomping. Those types of songs require a great deal of practice once the group is assembled, and Freeman has been in Indianapolis since Saturday working with the chorus.

Their first performance, which is expected to take place in front of about 25,000 people, mostly fellow FFA members, is sold out.

"It's just crazy. There is a sea of blue and then there are the jumbotrons. You're 50 feet tall in the picture if you make it on the jumbotron, and the acoustics in the building are crazy. The notes just come out pristine," Freeman said.

Freeman also serves as president of the Ethan FFA chapter, and he's enjoyed being part of the organization since its inception. The establishment of the chapter has opened more opportunities for him and his fellow students at the district, and it's one he's glad has taken hold at the school.

Roudabush said the lessons Freeman is learning as part of his unique experience should hopefully serve him well into the future. That's true for all the students who sign up for FFA, including an additional eight Ethan FFA members who will be attending the convention.

The organizational and interpersonal skills they all develop in FFA are important skills for anyone to learn, she said.

"I hope they learn leadership skills and that they go out there and learn how to lead with dignity, and then I hope that they learn that their hard work pays off," Roudabush said. "Interacting with other people and networking, in my opinion, is one of the most important parts of what they do."

Roudabush said it will be hard to say goodbye to Freeman and his fellow seniors in FFA when they graduate later this school year. As a relative newcomer to South Dakota who only recently established the chapter at Ethan, her first set of students leaving for the next phase of their lives will be bittersweet.

Freeman is glad he joined the Ethan FFA program. It's provided him with some opportunities and experiences he will look back on over a lifetime. He thinks other students can find similar experiences through the organization if they give it a try.

Roudabush said judging by the hard work Freeman has put in and the success that has resulted from it, she expects him to continue to grow those skills as he moves on to the next stage of his life.

"I'm excited to see where he wants to go. I think he'll do an amazing job," Roudabush said.

Performances by the National FFA Chorus will be livestreamed at

the National FFA Convention website.