Yea! Cameron... So as you already know I was unable to make it to the comp. but I am sure I will be able to go to one soon! Anyways just wanted to say thank you for all of your comments... I can't wait to see you and the few people that I actually know from Vocal Point! Talk/ See you soon!
"Sorry about that, all of the notes i took were written directly on the program. I must not have noticed that this wasn't the opening song (nor was it in your show at all). So my memory escapes me, was "Lullaby of Broadway" your opener? Great show by the way, can't wait to see more of you. =>"
haha no big deal =D
yes Lullaby of Broadway was our opening number
and thank you verry much for the positive comments and insightful views on everyone's shows
i always get a quick out of Serrano's show.
and congrats to everyone who performed on Friday night, i had a blast watching everyone
keep up the good work all!
Cameron, I love & appreciate your insightful comments. I hope other people follow your example and can appreciate what goes on as much as you do.
I am so impressed by this year's shows. I was ECSTATIC to hear that Mark Keppel was performing last night and my friends and I made sure to watch them .
Unfortunately, I missed Brea's, Arcadia's, Glendora's, and Hart's shows on Friday night because we had to transport our costumes from backstage through the pouring rain to the hallway where you enter the stage to our bus to change back into our other clothes. :/
But all of the shows that I did get to see were fantastic, and I am so proud of everyone and the hard work we have all put into this year thus far.
I think it's especially great that your post comes from the position of a current student in a group. There are lots of "lurkers" on SCC, but sadly not as many contributors as we should have! So, on behalf of myself and the community here that doesn't speak up nearly enough, thanks for your words.
Haakon, your "lurker" comment just made me laugh, especially since that's exactly what i was doing: being a lame lurking alumni ;)
but eventually I will make it to a competition and I hope to see you soon dear!
Good Luck to everyone, sounds like the season's already exciting. <3
Quick note to the Choraleers, i just reread my post and it sounded a tad negative. I just wanted to clarify that i truly did enjoy your show as i did all of the shows in this competition. I found myself leaning forward in my seat, and I am as impressed by what your choir has accomplished as I am by the biggest choirs out there. I can see the immense amount of work that you've put into your show, and I can't wait to see how it grows and improves throughout the year.
Cameron Its Perfectly Fine The Way It Is......
As Both Positive And Negative Critiques Are Needed To Help A Show Grow....
But I Thank You For Ure Input About Our Set........
As We Bring These Issues To Practice..... As We Learn From Ppl We Compete Against
As Well As Those Who See Our Show As A Spectator.... (MR. A & CHULA)
So With This I Thank U..... And Hope To Hear Frm U In Future Competitions....
I Hope As Well Too See Serrano Grow Throughout This Season... Kudos To Vocal Point,Their Director and Choreographer
Quick note to the Choraleers, i just reread my post and it sounded a tad negative. I just wanted to clarify that i truly did enjoy your show as i did all of the shows in this competition. I found myself leaning forward in my seat, and I am as impressed by what your choir has accomplished as I am by the biggest choirs out there. I can see the immense amount of work that you've put into your show, and I can't wait to see how it grows and improves throughout the year.
haha quick disclaimer
"Let the Day Begin" was not Arcadia Chanteurs' opening number (nor a song in our setlist)
it was a typo on the program xP
Sorry about that, all of the notes i took were written directly on the program. I must not have noticed that this wasn't the opening song (nor was it in your show at all). So my memory escapes me, was "Lullaby of Broadway" your opener? Great show by the way, can't wait to see more of you. =>
QUOTE(Orbie @ Feb 7 2009, 09:04 PM) 452696
PS One last congrats to SERRANO HS, you guys were SOO entertaining. It is so great to watch your group and to see a different side of show choir! I thought your set was VERY entertaining and was very well put together!! Once again a big congrats to your choir, your director, and choreographer(s).
Thank you so much for your compliment! it's reassuring to know that people enjoy our show, regardless of our consistency with placement. " border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> But for me at least, it's not about the scores, I just love having fun and performing on the same stage as choirs like yours. I'm excited to see how the rest of the season progresses!
First off I would like to thank Diamond Bar for a running this competition with such organization.
Second, I would also like to extend my congratulations to our across town HS Burbank.
I would also like to congratulate EVERYONE for putting on great shows. I have seen A LOT of beginning of the season competitions in my life (16 years.. fun times) and I can honestly say that this year everyone was fun and entertaining to watch (with prepared shows). Everyone has stepped it up so much and I think it is great. I can't wait to see the rest of the groups that I haven't gotten to see and I can't wait for the next competition. Its going to be a GREAT year for the west coast!!
PS One last congrats to SERRANO HS, you guys were SOO entertaining. It is so great to watch your group and to see a different side of show choir! I thought your set was VERY entertaining and was very well put together!! Once again a big congrats to your choir, your director, and choreographer(s).
I think you completely get the point of this website and I appreciate you taking the time to write out such thorough and insightful comments. While we may not all agree, art affects each one of us in different ways and this is a place to both celebrate that art as well as learn from it. I think it's especially great that your post comes from the position of a current student in a group. There are lots of "lurkers" on SCC, but sadly not as many contributors as we should have! So, on behalf of myself and the community here that doesn't speak up nearly enough, thanks for your words.
uuumm, i appreciate your comments but who are you?
My name is Cameron Booth and I'm the president of Serrano Vocal point. But don't worry, my opinions by no means reflect those of my choir as we definitely tend to disagree a lot. I just love show choir and the discussion that accompanies it, so I sincerely hope my opinions don't offend anyone. I think it's healthy to keep a consistent link of feedback and constructive criticism so that we can help each other to grow and perform better throughout the year. I absolutely love all those choir kids out there! I know I have so much to learn from all of you. Props to west coast show choir for their incredible consistency and determination to keep performance alive.
Thxz Cameron.....
We Love To Get Feed Back about Our Show....
And Jen Oundjian Congrats Again On Creating Another Wonderful Show With Mr Jennings......
Its Spectacular...... And UnExplainable.... Also A Close Friend..... Tarcio Lara..... Says Hello......
I Want To Say To Brea And Mr Willert..... I Love You Show Its So Great and I Love Everything About It....
Burbank & Mr Caroll...... Sadly We Could Not See Ure Show..... But Hearing During Our Warmup Time And Seeing Ure Show Last Week At Aztec...... I Knoe Its Amazing I Cant Wait To See Ure Full Show......
Bonita I Loved Ure Acapella Show Much......
Hart I Loved Ure Set and Ure Acapella The Most........ And With The Little Trick With Boogie Wonderland... I Seriously Thought U Had 2 Acapella's.......
Mark Keppel I Love Do the Mu Shu Its My New Favorite show choir Song......
And Wow Theirs Just So Many Groups........ I Loved This Competition........
thanks Cameron! It's nice to hear we were
Someone's favorite group. And you got the
Plot of the show!! I would love to hear why
The story gets lost at the end and exactly
Where. I'd love for it to be understood to
The very end of course! Thanks for your
Positive insight.
Great, great description of the shows. You are amazing
I really would like to see East Lake's show. I've never heard of them, and havn't ran across them on YouTube. But I really want to see their show. I really like about 4 of their song choices. I just really wanna see them.
Brea.. The Hey There Delilah thing really intreagues me. Please get on youtube ASAP.
Arcadia sounds alot like a midwest group in their song choices/setup.
Burroughs's show really fascinates me. I just really, really want to see them!
Burbank! You sound super powerful this year. I need to see this show.
Alright here we go. => First up, I'd very much like to thank Diamond Bar for hosting another fun and exciting competition. Here are my thoughts on this year's sets:
First up of the night was Eastlake High School Center Stage who opened with a ballad "This is the Night". This provided a good first impression of their vocals, both great blend and pitch though a tad softer due to a smaller choir size. This was followed by "Without Love", which was again solid vocally (especially for the guys) but lacked some of that energy that should accompany the song choice. Their 3rd song was "Make Someone Happy" which featured a solid solo and good cut offs, though i felt the girls were somewhat overwhelmed just a time or two. Again, it was right on pitch and easy on the ears. Their 4th song was "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" which was probably my favorite of the set, though it needs an energy boost as well. Lost a little bit of the sound on some of the lower notes for the guys and the climax and key change felt just a little sketchy, but overall phenomenal sound. When it reached the fast part of the song energy simply exploded out of this little choir. This is the level I wanted the energy to be at for the entire show. Great job. Their closing song was "No Day But Today" which is a personal favorite of mine and they did well with. Some of the simple choreography needs to be perfected, but for this early in the season, i was pleased. Way to stay in character during transitions, the show never lost momentum. Great sound, and I hope that with a little bit more energy, the whole show will improve tenfold. Overall it was a solid opening show! =>
Second of the night: Brea Olinda Masquerade. Their show is segmented into 3 parts that follow the course of a relationship from start to finish. The first third of the show is titled "Once upon a time" and begins with the "Disney Effect" of magic and romanticism in the form of a Rogers and Hammerstein's ball. The dynamics were phenomenal, especially considering the size of the group. However, the ripples remained relatively simple and the dancing stayed at the same level throughout the song. BUT, this was not necessarily anything to criticize, as they did remain true to the fairy tale ballroom style. Their second segment is titled "Our Time Now" which featured a medley of Plain white T's songs including an A'capella arrangement of Hey There Delilah. This is my favorite part of the show. They also performed the song Hate (I Really Don't Like You) with a unique chain link fence dance. People were paired off around each fence piece and used them as props for various dance moves. However, I would have liked to see the prop used more for how unique it was; most of the time it was just used to pound the stage or separate the couples. There was one point in the song where the girls ran angrily to the end of the stage which looked a little to much like a model trot. But overall the song was powerful and fun. Hats off to the Brea effect on Check Yes Juliet (Run Baby Run). Here they employed both the Brea energy with immense power and effects. One portion turns into an a'capella group that passes a student over their heads. This of course was very well received in the audience as the student flips off the group and the dancing continues. All of the music was of course very well arranged, but by far, this song had the best effect. The end of the show is titled "The Boy From Oz" which features a breakup and get over it phase if you will. Here we reach the song "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love" which featured two remarkable soloists. Soloists- you made this song. Incredible. The conclusion of this show features the song "I Go To Rio" which i found rather amusing and uplifting. The soloist was great and the energy surprisingly high. Some of the costumes and sets were a bit over the top, but this was essentially the idea. At times the entire choir would shout something, which felt a little overwhelming, but overall I was very much impressed. I think we counted 4 shoe changes for the girls during the course of the show- wow. The show started at 7:05:15 and ended at 7:24:03 which puts the show at a solid 18 minutes leaving about a minute and a half for set up and tear down combined. Could use a little trimming up here and there but the show as a whole was by no means boring and no one was happy to see it end. Thanks for a great performance!
Third group of the night was Arcadia Chanteurs . As a whole, the show was incredibly sharp vocally. Their show line up was: "Let the Day Begin" "Lullaby of Broadway" "We Belong" "September in the Rain" and "Johnny B. Goode". "We Belong" had unbelievably accurate pitch and intonation. This song would be very much improved with sharper arm movements. But The highlight of the show in my eyes was "September in the Rain". This was quickly followed by "Johnny B. Goode," which had a great closing energy. I would have liked to see this much energy and interest in the rest of the show. Just get into it more! =D Glad to see you guys placed, great job!
Fourth up: Burroughs Powerhouse brought the house down. Their show this year is titled "Who Made Up All the Rules?" From what i gathered, it represents a slow progression from the strict aristocratic world into a more wild breaking freedom. This provided a dark cool element and the traditional and unique Burroughs form of entertainment. Their opening had great character, everyone on stage understood the effect they were going for, and that was something the audience could feel. Great sharp movements. Song #2- great solos and a very classy song as a whole. Incredible power and dynamics, and that center soloist was incredible. #3- this song marks a slow shift from the strict environment; i found myself laughing through much of it as they maintained proper postures with gradually more promiscuous words and moves. Props to the left stage soloist using the fan throughout her singing. Guys in the center could use just a little check up on the movement of their feet, any slight variation from the choreography is amplified by the white leggings. Just a general note to all the soloists, really try to hug the mic. We lost a lot of the message of the show because we couldn't understand much of what was being said. This is applicable to the entire choir- articulation! don't allow the character of the show to overwhelm what's being said. Song #4- first impression: costumes were awesome. I love it. And soloists-incredible. I absolutely loved the ending ripple with the 3 standing in the center. One of the best songs of the show. The last song featured great fluctuations in power going from soft to intense very quickly. The choreography was intense and matched the song perfectly, but we kind of lost a little bit of the story toward the end. Overall, you were my favorite group, thanks for a great show!
Glendora! The Royal Stewarts bring to the stage a jazzy mix of songs. I felt the overall energy was much improved over last week! The show opens with "Mad Hot Ballroom" a great opening piece with solid energy. Song #2 is "When I Fall In Love" which was a nice transition, but I would have liked it if the dynamics had been milked a little more. Song #3 was "Le Jazz Hot" which was also fun and entertaining. It'd be nice to see the energy explode more when it gets to more exciting points, the level remained pretty constant- Especially after the solo. => Sound needs to blend just a little bit as one part or another was occasionally overwhelmed. Check the ripples. Song #4 is "Take Five". Sounds great, but given the energy of the song, it lacked just a little movement. The show ended solidly with "The House is Rockin" featuring both great energy and momentum. I wish the final verse wasn't split between two things being sung, this kind of took away from that final ending power. Overall, i loved the show and I am so glad to see you again! Good luck this season!
Mark Keppel were listed next in the Program though they went last: Aztec Singers! Their opening song is titled "Prelude 12/21" which starts with a cool pyramid formation. Mic was off at the start, though this of course was not your fault. Just wanted to make note of it, i know how frustrating it can be. Show starts out with a solo, which isn't always my thing, but it's performed well and it's a fun clean opening number. Next Song: "Man in the Mirror". girl soloist, hug the mic. Lost the balance in the duet. This song is fun and features a unique use of props. However, the fact that the white frames are supposed to be "mirrors" is lost a bit in translation. A sheer fabric covering them would eliminate this ambiguity. cool fun idea though. Excellent transition into the next song which i believe was the a'capella "Fields of Gold." Sounds great period. clearly this is your element. Great job altos. :> Next came a comedic relief in the form of "Do the Mu Shu." However, while the Asian stereotyping was funny and entertaining, it just didn't seem to fit in the show. I'd just like the transition in and out of it to flow a little better. The closing song "Temptation" sounded great but needs some formation fixing and used a tad too much step-touching. Overall, i really enjoyed it. Thanks for the great show!
Next Up after Glendora came Hart Sound Vibes. The opening song "Blackout/96000" was a great opening and featured some impressive solo work. Cool Costume change as well. this was followed by "Ghost train" and "With a Lily in your Hand". Guys, watch pitch on lowest notes. The latter was both unique and memorable, solid cut offs. Song #4 was "Soul With a Capital S" featuring a great soloist and a lot of energy. This then transitioned (transition was a little choppy) into the closing number "Boogie Wonderland" which featured their best soloist of the show. However, she passed the mic back and forth between her hands about 7 times during the course of her solo, little things like this can distract. Overall, the show had a beautiful tone and dynamics, another masterpiece from Hart. As a general note to everyone, stay out of sight in the wings, though it's good to see that you know the guys' dance too girls. ;> great show, very much enjoyed it!
Bonita Vista The Music Machine came next but this was unfortunately my warm up time and I missed this show entirely. Their program line up was: "Owari (All's Well That Ends Well)" "Little Shop of Horrors" "The Song Of Purple Summer" "The Twelve Days of Competition" And "Transylvania Mania". Hope to see you next time guys! =>
After Serrano Vocal Point came Burbank In Sync. They certainly know how to leave an impression as their opening "Requiem for Eleanor" features a dark setting before a barbed wire background. Great overall effect, both powerful and unique. Song #2: "Doves Cry/God Help Me" simply bled with intensity and power great effect. This was quickly contrasted with the third song: "Dying to Live" which was a great model of their vocal power. Would have like to hear just a little bit more bass. In between was a sliding curtain costume change, which was cool, but we've seen it done. The fourth song "Lose Yourself/Something's Comin' was great and energetic, but i didn't really care for the ending pose. Song #5 "Heal the World" featured some outstanding soloists as well as strong choral support. Song #6 "4 min to Save the World" wasn't the most unique choice ever, but with a Burbank twist it was a solid piece. I wasn't a huge fan of the bright "Change the World" ending but both the vocals and choreography were of course incredible. I'd also like to make note of the small blond dancer in the front, best performer of the night. Great job on the sweep Burbank, it came much deserved.
The last group of this competition was the El Rancho Choraleers. The show opened with "Died in Your Arms Tonight" which was good, but didn't function great as a show opener. The dancing was clean but the choral tone was lost from time to time due to the style of the song. Band needs to rock out a bit more on dance breaks, it just lacked energy. The second song was far more impressive: "We Belong" which sounded great and had an outstanding ending. The third song was "Fields of Gold" which was clearly their forte. Great tone and blend. Coming out of this song they performed "Time After Time"- good song choice, but i wanted to feel the power and energy that matched the vocal performance. Good solo work. All of the girls were doing something different with their hair, would've liked to seen something a bit more unified. Also, the beads tend to distract from the overall image and performance. The conclusion of the show came with "Wake Me Up", another good song choice and solo. Great to see you guys and Great Show!
Big thanks again to everyone at Diamond Bar and thank you choirs for all the phenomenal shows of the night! Everyone was really impressive!
Diamond Bar Spectacular 2009
" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> But for me at least, it's not about the scores, I just love having fun and performing on the same stage as choirs like yours. I'm excited to see how the rest of the season progresses!
I miss LA......I miss show choir
