TBHS Hosts 27th Annual Show Choir Invitational
TROY – To put it simply, seeing of any of three groups of show choirs from the Lincoln County R-III School District perform is well, show stopping.
Over the weekend, there was one riveting performance after another as Troy Buchanan High School hosted its 27th annual show choir invitational.
One of the biggest events in the community, it brought 16 schools and approximately 500 students to the area.
“The purpose of the event is to showcase talents from our region in a show choir competition and to raise funds for our show choir program,” said Sarah Larson, event co-chair.
Show choirs from other schools included Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois.
The school district’s three groups — Tonali-T which is middle school show choir, Soundwave, the high school prep division, and Express, high school varsity — all gave showcase performances.
Show choir season recently started and the three groups have only attended one competition so far.
Students have four more competitions to go to by the end of March and will conclude their season with the Spring Sing event during the first weekend in April.
“Show choir is a sport,” said Lee Schieffer, Encore Booster Club president and this year’s choir invitational chair. “Everyone thinks of choir as just standing there singing but it’s a very active show that transitions between costumes. There’s constant movement and constant props being used throughout the show. It’s a sport because within those 15 minutes of that performance those kids have changed clothes and have danced on multiple platforms at different levels of height throughout that whole show and they’re exhausted when they come off that stage.”
According to Audrey Henebry, Lincoln County R-III School District community relations director, hosting the event allows “our students to give back to the show choir community that hosts them for competitions throughout the season.”
Both Larson and Schieffer have kids in the show choir and see the benefits extend beyond the stage and razzle and dazzle. In particular, Larson says the invitational creates a leadership opportunity and allows students to see other performances.
Currently, Larson has a child that is a second-year member in the middle school show choir while Schieffer has had multiple kids in the last decade participate including a son in the junior varsity group right now.
During the middle school years, Schieffer says, is where students interested learn “the art of show choir and are just getting their feet wet.”
But perhaps the greatest advantages of show choir are the friendships formed and the well-rounded adult that show choir offers to its members.
“It really brings out the best in them,” Schieffer said. “It really builds on their inner talents and it brings out so much as far as responsibility and self-worth and self-confidence. It teaches them that responsibility and that self-worth of responsibility is way more than just music.”
Those who placed at the invitational on Feb. 8 include:
3rd – Mt. Zion “Swingsations” – Mt. Zion Community Unit School District, Mt. Zion, Ill.;
2nd – Blue Valley “Chamber Singers” – Blue Valley Schools, Overland Park, Kan.;
1st – Winning Best Band, Best Visuals, and Best Vocals, Urbandale “Studio” – Urbandale Community School District, Urbandale, Iowa.
Tickets for the Spring Sing for the Lincoln County R-III School District show choirs event will be available next month at www.troymusic.com.
