Members of the Treble Choir perform a holiday concert. Photo Cred: Watauga Yearbook.
On March 20, Watauga High School’s Choir had the opportunity of traveling to the Music Performance Ajudication, a competition used to help choirs grow in their singing journey. At MPA, the choir was scored on two songs they prepared throughout the year. Watauga took home two superior scores. This high of a score leads many to wonder what the rehearsal process looked like for this group of students.
Frankie Lancaster, Watuaga’s choir director, worked with his students for the entirety of the first quarter of the second semester of this school year to prepare for MPA. While the rehearsal process was tedious, it was rewarding.
“The rehearsal process was very focused and detail oriented. We have only rehearsed two songs this entire first part of the semester. These two songs were the songs we presented for judging on the 20th. These songs were so very different that it took far more mental work and preparation than it did vocally,” Lancaster said. “We have been working on a mature vocal sound all year, and these two songs tested what we have been working on to the fullest. Our whole goal has been to shift the barometer of success from being a good local high school choir to a program that is known across the nation for not only its success, but also its sound.”
Even through the hard weeks of the first quarter, Lancaster did not give up on his students, and they did not give up on themselves. He pushed them to grow to their best abilities.
“I would say the hardest part of preparation was maintaining momentum in learning and getting better while also not feeling as if we had ‘arrived’ at a destination,” Lancaster said. “The desire to get better as a group first starts internally as an individual, so that was always our motivating factor. One percent better each rehearsal.”
Brecken Sauthoff, a sophomore and member of the Treble Choir is proud of the way that the community supports each other.
“The MPA choir experience helped me to practice perfecting the songs each time I practice and perform them,” Sautoff said. “Some small changes in class and rehearsals seemed tedious at times, but the more we practiced and grew to our full potential, the more it affected the overall sound to eventually earn us the high scores that we received.”
The already beautiful relationship of the choir community was strengthened through this competition in more ways than one.
“I see the Treble Choir every other day and we were all working hard to be the best version of ourselves,” Sautoff said. “It was amazing to see Concert Choir's performance as well, and we were cheering them on throughout their performances. The bus ride to and from MPA was a blast because we were all on the same bus, which led to some lasting memories.”
Ximena Rivera-Alegria, a sophomore at Watauga, is a member of the Treble Choir. She got to experience MPA for the second time this year. MPA helped Rivera-Alegria see what a powerful force a choir can be.
“We all felt somewhat nervous and we were scared,” Rivera-Alegria said. “I mean, it was our first time going to MPA with a new teacher that wasn't Mr. Winbush, but we all started supporting each other, and that made all of us have a smile on our faces. We went out on the stage and we did so well because of all of the love and support of each other.”
MPA, being a new opportunity for many students, helped each choir member value the Watauga choir experience a little bit more. The other choir members were the main support system for each and every person.
“Going to MPA helped me grow because it showed that if you cheer for someone and are there to support them, it makes you do whatever you are doing ten times better than it was already going to be,” said Rivera-Alegria. “It helped me feel and become closer to people that I never knew I would become friends with.”
The 2024 MPA was a valuable opportunity and lifelong memory. Scoring exceptionally high in their assessments, Watauga’s Treble and Concert Choirs are proud of the hard work and dedication that they put into this competition. The WHS Choirs look forward to competing again next year.
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