College Quarterly: Spring 2016

Contemporary music-making in the choral field has never been more exciting. The sheer volume of music available for performance from around the world in every possible style is unprecedented and continues to impact choral performances everywhere. This installment of College Quarterly will take a closer look at one genre that continues to gain momentum in schools across the country: show choir. What are the advantages of having a show choir within your choral program? How does show choir impact your singers and traditional choral ensembles? We will explore these topics and more with special guest Lukas Warren from St. Francis High School in St. Francis, Minnesota.

Lukas is a 2007 graduate of St. Olaf College and has spent the last six years at St. Francis. An active member of ACDA, Lukas has served as the ACDA-MN Show Choir R&S Chair and is currently serving as the NC-ACDA R&S Chair for Show Choirs. The show choir program he established at St. Francis won a FAME Aspire Award for “Most Promising New Program” after its first year of existence and Lukas was nominated for a FAME Aspire Award for “Best New Director.”

What was the state of the show choir program at St. Francis when you arrived and how has it changed over the past six years?

Well, the answer to this one is easy. There was not a show choir program at St. Francis when I arrived. In fact, there are so few show choirs in Minnesota, people in the town didn’t even know what it was! I decided that it would be a great thing for the overall health and growth of this program I had just walked into. There was declining enrollment in the choral program as a whole and a lack of extra-curricular opportunities. To me, this signaled a great opportunity to fill a void and create some new excitement around what we were doing in the choir room. As it stands today, we have TWO show choirs at the high school (a prep group and our varsity group). We have over 120 kids involved in the show choirs and had almost 170 singers audition for our groups last year. Our prep group competes three times during the year, and our varsity group, The Bridge Street Singers, is out five to six times a year. The kids have really taken off with this and have created something that they and their community are VERY proud of. At this point, it really is feeding itself. Its been quite the journey!

What impact has the new show choir program had on the rest of the choral program?

I’ll speak to this question in two parts. First, recruitment and retention. My first year at St. Francis there were 172 students registered for choir. We have had tremendous growth over the last five years (since show choir began) and currently have 380 students registered for our choirs for the 2016–17 school year. In fact, our program has shown steady growth since the inception of show choir, including a retention rate of over 90%. What I think show choir does for the recruitment and retention part of the puzzle is that helps put a different face on the choir program. That is to say, it reaches out to kids and families in a different way than they traditionally expect a choral program to reach them. It helps the kids in show choir invest into the program in a deeper way and this in turn stokes the flames of excitement throughout our entire program. However, by NO MEANS are our show choirs the star of our program. We believe and preach to the students that their music education, vocal technique, music theory, etc. are taught and honed in the classroom. I think my students know that without the work that we do in our traditional choirs, our show choirs would not be nearly as successful. Because our emphasis is placed on our traditional choirs, I think that it helps ALL students feel like they have some stock in making every part of the choir program successful, even if they don’t directly participate.

Now, as for the question of how show choir has impacted my traditional choirs…that’s easy. Show choir teaches kids to be comfortable being expressive during performance, especially with their face and their eyes. In fact, it demands it of them. While we certainly preach expressivity and musicality in our traditional choirs, show choir quite literally forces kids to step outside their comfort zone and just do it. The great thing is that the kids involved in show choir make these performance elements a habit. Frankly, as soon as they hit a stage, they just seem to turn on a different gear. This absolutely finds its way into our traditional choirs and tends to raise our rehearsal expectations and performance level. When a large majority of students get comfortable being expressive, it makes the rehearsal room a safe place for everyone to just “go for it.” As vocal technicians, we all know that getting students to activate the muscles in the face unlocks resonating spaces that only aid in the beauty of their sound. Once they start to experience a sound they love, most seem very willing to take on the challenge of outward expressivity, if for no other reason than they enjoy the sound we are creating as a group! I have had a number of audience members after concerts remark to me how expressive so many of our singers are and how natural that seems to be for them. This is one of the great byproducts of a show choir program. In a day and age where high school kids are buried in their phones and the general spectrum of facial expression and emotion we see from them is virtually non-existent, show choir is one way to get students to build a new habit of using their eyes and faces to tell stories. Not only does this raise our performance level, but it helps students with their self-confidence and changes the way they interact with each other and the rest of the world. It is a really fun transformation to be a part of!

What resources have you found most valuable in your leadership of the show choir program at St. Francis?

There are SO MANY great music educators who are willing to help, if you only ask. This show choir thing is hardly something you can do yourself. If you are looking for choreographers, arrangers, clinicians, etc. everyone seems to know everyone! These brilliant educators can point you in the right direction for what your specific program may need at the time. Some of these folks have been at it for a long time and have literally seen it all. Reach out to them! Also, the parents! Get them involved ASAP. They are an abundant resource. I’ve found that parents will latch on to show choir as much as the kids. They want to help with whatever they can. Sewing and altering costumes, providing food, organizing team activities, etc. Reach out to them and involve them right away—it can only help you and your students!

Do you have any advice for collegiate students who want to get a show choir program started when they land their first job?

Well, my first piece of advice for someone who wants to start a group is this: if you are going to do it, then just GO FOR IT. Dive in the pool head first and tackle it at full speed. There is no such thing as halfway in show choir. Starting a brand new group involves a lot of patience and a lot of education of your students, parents, administrators, district-level personnel, etc. (especially if you come from a place that already had a high functioning show choir program and are walking into a place that doesn’t even know what show choir is!). I would also say to have a plan and trust the process you put in place. When I started this at St. Francis, I had a plan for what we needed to do and where needed to go after three years, after five years, and beyond. By and large, we have met or exceeded every benchmark I’ve laid down for this process. I’ve shared parts of that vision with students (only what they absolutely need) so that they know where we are at and where we are going. Competing at the highest level takes time. Plain and simple. It most likely won’t happen overnight. You just need to trust your process. You know your kids and the capabilities of your program better than anyone else, so do what you do and do what is best for your students and your program.

Also, don’t let money be a stumbling block. Yes, show choir is expensive to run. Between costumes, music arrangements, choreography, busing, and competition fees, it can seem pretty daunting. However, don’t be afraid to ask and seek out financial resources for your program. If you ask, the worst that can happen is being told “No.” There are people who are willing to help, but you must seek them out!

Finally, HAVE FUN! This is supposed to be a fun activity that teaches kids life skills, teamwork, and confidence and gives them an opportunity to express themselves in a whole different way. Let that be the focus from day one! Show choir can be a life-changing experience for so many kids and one that they will cherish for their whole lives. Keep that as the focus, and you and your program will find all the success you are looking for.