It's an oft-told joke that is thought to have originated in the 1950s.

A pedestrian on 57th Street in New York City sees a musician emerging from a taxi and asks, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"

The musician replies, "Practice, practice, practice."

While the response is meant to be sardonic, it does explain how Michaela Meyrick earned an invitation to perform at the iconic venue.

Michaela, a senior at Solanco High School, was accepted into a prestigious choral program called the Honors Performance Series and will perform at Carnegie Hall Thursday, Feb. 5, through Monday, Feb. 9.

Michaela explained that the Honors Performance Series is a program funded by George Mason University that invites high school students from all over the country to apply. She found out she had been accepted in June.

"I was ecstatic," Michaela said. "It felt like everything had come full circle with all of my performances. It still feels unreal. I feel like being there with world class composers and conductors and being with all of those high-level performers is really going to be a very educational opportunity and a place where I might be able to find just like that group of people that I'll stay with the rest of my life."

Solanco High School music teacher Erin Biles stated that Michaela's dedication enables her to be successful. "She is all in with everything musically that she does," said Biles. "She practices at home, she practices with me almost every day. We have an advisory period, which is like a study hall. She's here every day. She's participated in county and district chorus. This will be her third year auditioning for the PMEA (Pennsylvania Music Educators Association) District 7 chorus, which is a higher-level ensemble. Going through that process involves a lot of extra time, a lot of extra dedication. And of course, she has natural talent."

Biles added, "She also needs to be willing to learn and grow and accept criticism, and she's been able to do that well over the years. I love seeing the growth from freshman year to senior year of all of my kids, especially Michaela. She came in with this sweet voice, and we worked on it and we've expanded the range a little bit. She has a very wide range. She could be an alto or a soprano, depending on what the needs of the choir are."

The Honors Performance Series requires tuition, and members of the community can help Michaela by going to https://gofund.me/2335430b.

"I've always really been involved in singing," said Michaela, whose favorite type of music is classical. "I've always sung at my church (Oxford Church of God)." She performed for the first time as a second-grader at Bethany Christian School. "I love sharing music with others," she said. "I really feel passionate about the art and the language that the message that music can tell. It's just magical."

Michaela started attending Solanco schools in fifth grade and began playing the flute while continuing to sing. She is appreciative of the support she has received. "Everybody here has always been super supportive of my dreams and aspirations, and Mrs. Biles especially has been super helpful with my vocal training," said Michaela. "And my best friend (Veronica Cahill) has always been supportive of me. I originally knew of her as the girl with the purple clarinet. We really connected in around seventh grade, and we've been best friends ever since."

Michaela is in the process of applying to colleges. "I would like to get into West Chester and double major in music performance and music education," she said. "Then after that, the end goal for my career would be to open up my own private vocal studio, to teach private voice lessons, so that way I can have my own hours, and I can do musical theater on the side."

In addition to being part of the chorus and chorale, Michaela is a member of the Solanco marching band, helps the orchestra, and is the treasurer for the school's Tri-M music honor society.

"Watching my students achieve is the highlight of my career," said Biles. "It's every year watching the seniors flourish from when they were freshmen. It's watching them get into district chorus and county chorus and regionals and all that. It's watching them succeed in the musical, and then when something like this happens, when Michaela takes it upon herself to apply for this Honors Performance Series, it's just one of the best parts about my career, honestly, to see a kid go after something they really want and to achieve it. I mean, what more can you ask for, right?"