Despite major changes, show choir members keep positive attitudes

In-step: Jack Cockayne and Topher Elliot practice a show choir routine in the fine arts room.

By Laurel Wade

Similar to countless activities and sports, both show choir teams have faced cancellations and challenges related to COVID this year. Despite these difficulties, members in both teams continue to stay positive and keep pushing forward.

“With only having half of the members at one time at rehearsals for a while and overall not having as much motivation this year it has been hard to learn and work hard on our show. Now with everyone together we have some of that motivation that pushes us to work hard and perfect our show,” said senior Havyn Fish.

All show choir competitions have been cancelled, but Andrea Cooper and Mariah Chapdelaine, Surround Sound and Audio Intensity directors, have found another way to perform. They will be travelling to a few schools in Iowa and doing performance exchanges with the show choir teams there.

“I’m really looking forward to performing in any way, shape, or form this year. I love being on stage, in costume, under bright lights and I'm glad our directors were able to figure out a way for us to do that this year,” said sophomore Lilian Perez.

During a normal year, show choir members put a lot of effort into making their show enjoyable for judges, but this year they can perform to the best of their ability without worrying about how judges will score the show.

“One advantage of this year is rather than being motivated by a placement at a competition or recognition for our success, we are individually motivated by our own love of performing and wanting to feel proud of the work we did when we leave each rehearsal. I feel like this change of mindset is a big improvement for the dynamic of our rehearsals,” said junior Julia Fiedler.

“My favorite part of show choir this year is the fact that we can all relax and have fun without having to worry about placements at a competition,” said senior Katelyn Skillett.

This year has been difficult for everyone, but it’s important to find community and normalcy in what you do. That’s exactly what show choir members have done in the past months.

“At the end of the day we are doing this for ourselves, and to get some normalcy back in our lives,” said senior Topher Elliott.