From Wednesday, April 15 to Saturday, April 18, the BHS choir traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to perform in the Music City Classic, which is a performance competition for different high school choirs. In addition to the competition, they had the opportunity to have a full recording session at RCA Studio B, “the same recording studio where Elvis made his landmark recordings”, according to Choir Director Mr. LaPine.
In the weeks before the trip, the choir students were really looking forward to it. Freshman Hannah Michelson was “really excited to see a show at the Grand Ole Opry theater and to spend time with my chorus friends”. Mr. LaPine was excited to have the students experience this and for them “to grow as musicians and as an ensemble”. Both ensembles, the Festival Choir and Madrigals, received Gold Ratings, which were the highest possible ratings, and first place in their respective divisions. According to Mr. LaPine, “they also had successful performances during their recording session at the historic RCA Studio B”.
Mr. LaPine was excited to have the students experience this and for them “to grow as musicians and as an ensemble
— Mr. LaPine
The students were also able to remain composed amongst all the excitement. In addition to Mr. LaPine being proud of the students on how well the students performed, he was also “really proud of how professionally the students handled every experience”. According to Mr. LaPine “Several people on the trip commended us on how friendly and well-behaved my students were, and that pleased me more than anything.” It sounds like the trip was a huge success, especially because of how well the BHS choir did in Nashville.
In addition to the good performing aspect of the trip, the students had a lot of fun as well. They also had time to hang out with their friends in the hotel, while shopping, while exploring Nashville, and enjoying meals. According to Freshman Bianca Pineda, “The most fun aspect of the trip was probably the hotel and just like walking around in Nashville and seeing all of the cool places it has. And of course, performing!”
But, of course, there were some challenges in logistics, as expected in any large school trip. While the students were performing, there was a bomb threat. Mr. LaPine explained what happened “We were on the stage getting ready for our festival performance in the Music City Classic when an alarm sounded in the school. The students were evacuated quickly from the building and boarded their buses. As soon as we were ready to pull out of the parking lot and get to a local strip mall, the superintendent of the local school district told us that we would be all clear to enter in a few minutes.” Bianca stated “It was a success other than the bomb threat. It was fine but it threw us off a little bit.” When Mr. LaPine was asked if anything went wrong on the trip, he responded on the matter positively “Of course! Nothing ever goes exactly as planned on a trip like this. However, the students and fabulous chaperones handled everything with poise. Any obstacle was overcome!”
The choir was very successful in the performing aspect, and it was very fun for the students to experience. This trip to Tennessee will not be occurring next year for the choir because overnight trips take place every other year, but, according to Mr. LaPine, “Next year, the choirs will be participating in a festival in the northeast, where they will still receive ratings and rankings.”
