Two weeks ago, seven CHS show choir students traveled to Noblesville, Indiana to train and perform with the Indiana All-State Show Choir, a three-day intensive workshop from October 17 to 19.
50 of the top-placing students in Indiana were selected for the weekend of training and performing. Chesterton High School had the largest representation out of any other high school in the state. Eight students were invited, and seven ended up attending: Bella Kelly, Sam Smith, Ava Cunningham, Emme Curran, Jeremy Schmidt, Mara Huneryager, and Jane Maddex. They were accompanied by CHS Choir Director Kristin Morris, who is one of the All-State Directors.
The audition process involved submitting two videos: performing choreography and singing the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
Once accepted, students are invited to a workshop with some of the best show choir clinicians in the area, where they learn four songs in less than two days.
“It’s a less than 48-hour workshop where you learn three numbers with vocal and dance, and then one number that’s just vocal,” said Jane Maddex, one of the show choir members who attended the workshop.
The group left school early to make the nearly three-hour drive, and booked a hotel for the weekend. They began rehearsing right away.
“3:00 pm on Thursday we started, then rehearsed until 10 that night,” recounted Maddex. “Then [we] got up the next morning and started at 8:00 and ended at 10:00 and then performed the next day at 3:00.”
These 50 students were able to work with some of the best show choir trainers in the state: Jeff Jordan for choreography, and Eric Van Cleave for vocals.
“Jeff Jordan choreographed the show and he’s kind of like a big show choir name. He just had really good advice when it came to performing and learning,” said Maddex. “Our vocal clinician was Eric VanCleave. He had a lot of wisdom…He had so much to say about performing as it relates to you giving something to the audience instead of them giving something to you.”
These two experts were able to teach these students quite a bit about their craft. These students described it as their favorite part of their experience.
“My favorite part was being able to take that [wisdom] back home,” Maddex expressed.
Not only did this program teach students a lot about show choir and provide them with valuable, intensive experience, but it also provided a lot of them with a confidence boost.
“To be able to [pick up choreography] in such a short time was really self-affirming and I felt like ‘okay, if I can do this, I can do a lot of other things,’” Maddex explained.
In addition to that, it also instilled a sense of friendship among students from rival schools.
“We compete against all of these schools and it can get tense. But then having something where we’re all working on collaboratively, together…it takes away some of that competition and adds camaraderie,” Maddex pointed out.
Overall, Indiana All-State Show Choir was a success for the students invited to go. They gained invaluable performing experience, along with a lot of advice and wisdom about both the practice and performance of their craft.
