By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
Three members of the Mack Lyon Middle School choir were recently chosen to travel north and participate in the Middle School All-State Choir as part of the Nevada All-State Music Festival in Reno, Nevada.
Cheyenne Bayles, soprano, Sage Overson, soprano, and Shaylee Adams, alto, were chosen by their choir director, Walter White, to participate in the three-day-long event, which included rehearsal sessions with a noted clinician and a concert at the end of the week. Students were given four songs to learn before they went, including one in German. The students only had about a month to prepare.
The three students traveled to Reno in early April and began rehearsals on Thursday afternoon. Their clinician was Victoria Ligon, who taught for part of her career in the Clark County School District, but since that time has taught all over the world.
Upon arriving at the clinic and discovering who the clinician was, Shaylee Adams mother, Shelley realized that Ligon had been her choir teacher when she was in school. Ligon not only remembered her, but pointed out Shaylee to the entire choir as a daughter of a former student.
Rehearsals for the event were long and grueling. The girls practiced for six hours the first day, and then for ten hours the next day.
The clinician worked with them on everything from warm-ups to vocal instruction to technique.
White, who also attended with his students said, “It was a lot of instruction for them, but it was a real learning experience for me, too, as I watched and listened. I am not a vocal specialist and I got a lot of good ideas that I can incorporate into my classroom to make our choir practices more effective.”
The choir performed 4 pieces including Dance on My Heart, Awake My Soul, Sisinimoja, and Der Tanz.
Der Tanz was in German and was Cheyenne’s favorite. Shaylee and Sage both loved Dance on My Heart.
“They really surprised me at the ease with which they were able to learn the German piece and show feeling while singing it,” White said.
Despite the long hours and heavy workload, the girls said it was a great experience and a lot of fun. “The part I enjoyed the most was being with my friends and getting to do this together,” Sage Overson said. “I had a great time and I hope I have the opportunity to do it again.”
Shaylee Adams agreed, saying, “It was really fun to get to go with my friends. My favorite part, however, was the performance. It was great to be part of a big choir and have everyone there.The songs sounded so beautiful. I wish someone had recorded it so I could watch it again and again.”
Adams said that even though she loves singing, and thinks of it as her hobby, the rehearsal schedule was tiring. “Those rehearsals were the hardest part of the experience,” she said. “We practiced for 10 hours straight with only a short break for lunch. It’s hard to be peppy after all that.”
