Webberville Women’s Choir achieves superior rating

 

The Webberville Choirs took a big step recently by participating in the Michigan School Vocal Music Association District Choral Festival, hosted at Holt High School. The Webberville High School Women's Choir, under the direction of Christopher Card, received a superior rating at the event. Their performance has earned them a trip to the State Choral Festival in May.

 

This is the first year a Webberville Choir has appeared at the district festival. Early in the year, the goal was set to have all groups participate in the district choral festival with the aim of at least one choir qualifying for the state choral festival. The Women's Choir has achieved that goal and is beginning preparations to appear at the state festival. Junior Ashley Benjamin stated, "Receiving a superior rating at festival makes me feel good because it was our first year and most of us have never been in choir before.”

 

At district festival choirs perform two selections for a panel of three adjudicators and receive ratings from each. Choirs are also rated by a fourth adjudicator on sight reading to test the musical reading ability of the group. Choirs are not evaluated differently based on school size, whether class A or D, all choirs have to reach the same level of excellence to receive a superior rating. The Webberville vocalists knew that when they performed, they would be singing after some of the best choral programs in the state. Card commented, "The girls knew that they had to have their best performance of the year to earn the respect of the adjudicators. They couldn't afford to be nervous if they wanted to perform well. That is one of the things I like about festival, it puts the pressure on and teaches students to rise to the occasion."

 

The Women's Choir had to overcome numerous obstacles to perform well as a unified group. Due to funding challenges the group only had two rehearsals with an accompanist prior to the festival. A winter storm eliminated the group's final rehearsal before festival. Most of the women in the choir have never been in choir before and had to learn how to sight read, read music, and develop advanced vocal technique in only a few months. Choir member Megan Choszczyk commented "It feels good to know that other people are recognizing our hard work and rewarding us with a superior rating."

 

This is only the beginning for Webberville Choirs as they pursue their goals of artistic excellence. In June the choirs will be sending an audition tape to Disney World with an application to perform for Epcot's Candlelight Processional in December 2005. Their long range goal is to perform at Carnegie Hall by 2007, and if you spend any time with Director Card, or any member of the Webberville Choirs, you will have no doubt that they will reach that goal!