My school was 1,000 kids with 100 in show choir my senior year. My junior year was the Los Al bloodbath against Burroughs, Burbank, and Wheaton, so I know what that's like.
Funny. Here's this little excerpt from the AHSTW Community School district website:
"AHSTW Secondary serves students in grades 7 through 12. We offer a large variety of courses including college level and AP courses to approximately 260 students."
And their choir page doesn't like their choir as having EVER competed at Los Al!
As a mom, I was really proud of what Hastings accomplished this weekend. Making it to finals was an achievement in itself, as everyone who watched this competition knows.
What I just noticed, however, makes this feat even more incredible to me. Of the six finalists, Hastings is by far the smallest school to make finals, with an enrollment of less than 1500 kids in four grades - a minimum of 500 fewer kids than any other school that made finals. School size isn't always an indicator of a good show choir, of course, but larger schools generally have more kids to pick from when building their show choir rosters.
Little engine that could?
My school was 1,000 kids with 100 in show choir my senior year. My junior year was the Los Al bloodbath against Burroughs, Burbank, and Wheaton, so I know what that's like.
As a mom, I was really proud of what Hastings accomplished this weekend. Making it to finals was an achievement in itself, as everyone who watched this competition knows.
What I just noticed, however, makes this feat even more incredible to me. Of the six finalists, Hastings is by far the smallest school to make finals, with an enrollment of less than 1500 kids in four grades - a minimum of 500 fewer kids than any other school that made finals. School size isn't always an indicator of a good show choir, of course, but larger schools generally have more kids to pick from when building their show choir rosters.
I couldn't agree with you more. Glad you wrote this so now I don't have to. Nice meeting you this weekend and hope to see you soon!
I'm ditto-ing Patrick in that I 100% agree with you Nic. The day was amazing and I was really glad I got to meet you and everyone else. It was the most fun I've ever had watching a competition. I hope to see you and everyone soon! And Haakon it was really great meeting you after all these years!
Great to meet you guys too it was just another reminder why show choir people are the best
I have to add because everyone else has been talking about it, Carmel's show has taken its spot on top of the list for my favorite shows of all time. My list probably isn't as large as someone whose been around show choir for multiple years but of the two years of show choir I've been around I've seen some fantastic shows and this is definitely one of the best. I do agree with Nic when it comes to your two performances though and its completely understandable. Your daytime performance was out of this world and set the bar so high I knew it was going to be hard to repeat in finals. Nevertheless I'm so in love with every aspect of your show the punishing vocals, tight choreo, and STUNNING costumes.. so thank you for wowing me and everyone out there who was watching. I know I've watched back through your show at least three times now today and I just find more things to love. So from one Ambassador to many others, CONGRATS on a fantastic season and may tree kyle live on forever
P.S if theres a way I could get a wristband too that would make me very happy
Alright, so I'm finally getting the opportunity to sit down and just type out all of my thoughts from this weekend. Here goes...
Carmel Prelims:
Wow. You guys went so early and I don't think any of us were ready yet to see all of the top-notch groups, much less what y'all had in store for us. Your characterization was perfect throughout. Your costumes were gorgeous and well put together. Your singing was stunning, especially in the ballad. And your Dwight choreography was executed perfectly, especially in the jazzy 3rd number. I think we were all stunned by your show, and just baffled at your execution. Also thank you to one of the Carmel parents for letting me have one of the #treekyle wristbands. :')
Carmel Finals:
It didn't click. That's about all I can say. Things went wrong with your set, and sometimes the band didn't engage quick enough, and you guys just looked a little flustered, and it showed when it came to how you connected with each other and singing. Nothing quite lit the match correctly, and I hate to say it, but I think your moving down in finals was justified. I still loved the show, it just didn't have that edge and spark like it did in prelims.
Hastings:
For it being the 5th time that I saw your show this year, I was definitely still impressed and engaged when it came to your finals performance. I loved more than ever your Henry Ford number, and your band DEMOLISHED the stage, especially in prelims. I know you guys may not have gotten the placements you may have wanted, but your performances were something to be more than proud of.
Buffalo Grove:
Well guys, I know it sucks not making finals. But, like I said with Hastings, your performance was just something to be very proud of. We could tell that you put a lot of emotion and heart into that performance, and it especially showed in the ballad. Your dancing was spectacular throughout (RANDY STAGE KICKED MY BUTT SO MANY TIMES YOU HAVE NO IDEA) and you executed it perfectly. I think what killed you was just the pace of the show. Every song was neat and intricate and fun, but as a whole, the show didn't reach a climax and seemed to flat-line more often than not. One aspect of that may have been your band and how much they pushed you, I dunno. It was definitely a show I was looking forward to seeing, and one I was not disappointed to see however. Thank you guys for pouring your hearts out, and showing us what true energy and passion looks like.
John Burroughs Prelims:
For this being my first time ever seeing a Powerhouse show live, I was impressed. I liked the dancing and singing, and I thought the show design was cool. But, after talking with lots of people, and then remembering what you guys presented, I, too,was in agreement that the possibility of your prelims performance not being good enough to make finals was all too real.
John Frickin Burroughs Finals:
It clicked. It meshed. It came together so well. We could immediately tell that the set and lights automatically made you guys want to sing and dance better. I loved every aspect of your finals performance. I was in love with the opener and its choreography so much. I was in love with the monogram and that soloist. Patrick looked to his left and back when he saw the projector start and I immediately hit him and said "LOOK LOOK LOOK" and the rest is brilliant history. I loved the backdrop, and I thought it added a lot of cool effects throughout the show. One last thing, I was in love with Just My Type <3. Thank you for coming to the midwest, and please come back soon.
Wheaton North:
Sam Sohmer slay me please. You killed that solo man. I liked your choreography A LOT. Stephen Todd did such a good job venturing out and exploring your guys' talents throughout. And y'all performed so well. The one thing I didn't like was the girls opening/2nd costumes. While it was an innovative idea, I just didn't think they flattered any of the girls. Thank you Flight for two solid performances.
Waubonsie Valley:
After prelims, it was pretty clear who should be on top. After your finals performance, Patrick looked to me and said "Y'all just won with that performance." I think that pretty much sums up the day. You guys came out to win, and your vocals and impeccable choreography demonstrated just that. The girl closer soloist made EVERYONE in the gym wanna just throw their pants onstage. The only thing I wish would be if the group as a whole loosened up in the first half of the show and engaged a little more with each other and the audience. Perhaps that was a director's choice, but even still I felt a need for each performer to be more engaged. We could tell that y'all loosened up when you got to Always Look... but I think you would've tore the house completely down if there was the passion facially. The talent in that group is beyond belief, and I can't wait to see you guys in the future.
Naperville North:
Yes, I am saving the best for last. While not technically best, clearly Entourage was a crowd and personal favorite. Jaylee had been speaking highly of them since Muscatine, and what she told us was more than an understatement to the power that was Naperville North. You engaged the audience immediately. You pulled us in so many different directions emotionally and physically, and you never stopped performing your hearts out and believing in every little detail of what you were doing. Your vocals were near perfect. Your choreography was clean and fun. The Brockets were an enormous part of what drove you and the audience. Please, for the love of all that is good in the world, never stop doing what you're doing, because what you're presenting to us sums up all that is right with show choir, and the world for that matter. You show that you may not be the best, but who frickin cares. You show that it's not about each individual, but the choir as a whole. And I wish that every kid in the world could see you, because you were an inspiration to us all, and you literally are the epitome of how to think and act. Thank you Entourage.
Overall:
One thing that I discovered, was the importance of bands and how they affect the choir and the audience. If a band made a mistake, or missed a cue, it became super clear because of the talent level of all the other bands. Each combo brought something unique to the table, and each band demonstrated how a band should perform behind the choirs, and how to completely obliterate the stage during a dance break. Wheaton finals was literally band goals.
Another thing I found so important was that every performer in finals believed in themselves and in their choir, and I thought that was so impressive and almost made me emotional. Every choir presented something unique, and every kid demonstrated why they should be on top. Saturday proved to me exactly why I am in love with this wonderful medium and all of its people.
I got to meet and hang with so many cool people on Saturday, including Patrick, Alex, Kyler, Abe, Drew, Bryan, Robert and co., and Jill, and seriously guys, they are the coolest people ever. Please take some time in the future to introduce yourselves to them and just talk with them because each one had something important to say, and were just a ton of fun to hang around. I hope to see and talk to all of you for years to come. #StoolGirl
I hope this helps anyone who wasn't there or didn't get the full experience from the livestream. Thank you everyone at Wheaton, including all parents, performers, staff, and spectators for making Saturday THE BEST show choir experience I've ever had.
CARMEL ABSOLUTLEY SLAYED HAMILTON AGAHSGKLHSHSKGDAKGJEWJKGLJPHO:REAW:@ YESSSSS
Agreed. I've already rewatched that portion a dozen times. The music in Hamilton is obviously on another planet... but Carmel takes it even further with their masterful arrangement and cascading vocal moments. It's vocal dessert. And they don't count calories.
Jeff, I'm bummed you didn't get to see us in finals...but glad you enjoyed the show! The prelims version of our show is not the way it was intended to be seen...though obviously you get the idea of the show just fine. We were much, much better in finals in pretty much every way.
I have to say, the level of competition yesterday was truly extraordinary. We were honored to be among such incredible choirs and holy moly were the bands mind blowing as well. Congrats to all on a legendary day of show choir!
Hey, Brendan, I know it's not the same as seeing it live, but I'm planning to order a finals DVD mostly just because I wanted to see your show with the set. And now I HAVE to see this hologram everyone was going on and on about.
I really loved the way the cast of your show slowly changed from living to ghostly throughout the show and the attention to detail like when the mic was sneaked (snuck?) to Maya and intentional or not it looked like she had a toy or doll or something and then suddenly...another solo. And at my age you're pushing just the right buttons with Hotel California, 25 or 6 to 4, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, and Stairway to Heaven.
Jeff, I'm bummed you didn't get to see us in finals...but glad you enjoyed the show! The prelims version of our show is not the way it was intended to be seen...though obviously you get the idea of the show just fine. We were much, much better in finals in pretty much every way.
I have to say, the level of competition yesterday was truly extraordinary. We were honored to be among such incredible choirs and holy moly were the bands mind blowing as well. Congrats to all on a legendary day of show choir!
Also I would be very interested to see scores or rankings from this comp. I'm sure it was so so so so close!! I was so blown away by every single group I saw.
This was only my second time seeing John Burroughs in person. The first time was in 2014 when they did their "Where have all the children gone?" show. I loved, loved, loved this year's theme and it was so well executed. The young lady that played the creepy little girl was phenomenal. I recognized her from her duet with the protagonist of the 2014 show and when she was about to begin her solo I nudged Mr. Woodin and pointed as if to say, "Get ready this is going to be good." So was the soloist at the end of the show the same girl that had the light up dress in 2014, Robin Mazer? Well whoever she was she was outstanding. I knew the audience had kind of jumped the gun when they started their ovation when the ensemble bowed at the end of the show, but it was actually a kind of cool way to show appreciation for her performance before it had even ended.
Robin graduated last year, if I remember correctly. All of the Burroughs soloists were outstanding!
I've been doing this crazy show choir thing for going on 40 years and this was the most exciting and entertaining competition I've ever attended. Nothing will ever top Onalaska 2004 for depth, but the quality at the top of this competition is untouched. I've been to 10 national competitions and my group competed at Wheaton in 2013 when WV and Clinton had their famous showdown. (My group tied for fifth with one other group at that competition, but finished 7th...but lets not pick at that old wound again.) All of that to say that this was an amazing day of show choir and every group that made finals should be very proud regardless of the placements. I felt there was a clear number 1, but after that it got a little harder to decide.
I was only there for prelims, so I'm not commenting on the final placements. I was in the gym for all of the open class groups. I got my spot in the top row just to the right of the judges and never left (I even talked my way into staying put when they cleared the gym for lunch).
Waubonsie Valley was the last group to perform at the end of the day and I had been keeping track on my phone of the order I would have ranked all of the groups to have gone so far. As their show began I was trying to come up with a way to slide them into 2nd or 3rd and keep the groups I had at the top, but they were simply flawless. They sing beautifully, their diction was crisp, their ballad was gorgeous (it doesn't hurt that I love JRB), their dancing was stupid clean while still being aggressive and fun to watch. When they finished I turned to my traveling companion, Steve Woodin, and held up one finger to indicate that they were now my clear 1st place and he responded, "Uh, yeah."
This was only my second time seeing John Burroughs in person. The first time was in 2014 when they did their "Where have all the children gone?" show. I loved, loved, loved this year's theme and it was so well executed. The young lady that played the creepy little girl was phenomenal. I recognized her from her duet with the protagonist of the 2014 show and when she was about to begin her solo I nudged Mr. Woodin and pointed as if to say, "Get ready this is going to be good." So was the soloist at the end of the show the same girl that had the light up dress in 2014, Robin Mazer? Well whoever she was she was outstanding. I knew the audience had kind of jumped the gun when they started their ovation when the ensemble bowed at the end of the show, but it was actually a kind of cool way to show appreciation for her performance before it had even ended.
If show choir was judged 100% on entertainment value and innovativeness you guys would have easily taken the championship. Please come to the midwest more often so I can see you more frequently. (I'm still kicking myself for not coming over to Fame Chicago in 2008 to catch your famous circus themed show.)
All in all it was a great day and I had 5 of 6 finalists correctly predicted. I'm very happy I made the day trip over to witness all of that talent. As I was talking with another spectator Saturday about the progression of show choir I told her after Carmel's show that if I had seen that in the mid 1980s my head would have exploded. The medium has come so far in the last 30+ years and I can't wait to see where it goes next.
One last thing. Holy Hot Brockets...that is easily the very best student combo I've ever heard...ever.
Wheaton Warrenville South Choral Classic 2016
