Behind the scenes of Show Coir

“Don’t stop believing! Hold on to that feeling!”

Imagine that feeling of performing, singing, and dancing. You’re standing on a large stage, under bright lights. You’re wearing your brand new costume and it fits just right. You have prepared for months but the crowd doesn’t know that. You’re nervous but you begin to sing. All your friends and show mates are smiling your way. You look out in the crowd and see faces with jaws wide open. You’ve caught their attention and by the time you’ve finished you’ve blown them away.

Vision turns into reality for the dreamers of Airport High School. This year the school has implemented a new extracurricular activity known as the Show Choir. As stated by ShowChoir.com, this makes Airport High School the seventh high school in the state of South Carolina to offer this after-school activity.

Jace M., a current sophomore, says, “Have you ever watched Glee? It’s like that. Anyone can tryout. There’s an audition process, you sing and learn a dance.” Once students have been informed if they have been accepted into the program, it is time for their practices to begin.

Being apart of the show choir requires time commitment. “You have to be at all the practices. You can only miss three. It takes up your Tuesdays and Thursdays. You must also be available on some of your Saturdays,” said Kori B., a junior member of the chorus. The practices run fairly smoothly under the direction of the choral teacher, Ms. Hines.

“We warm up first, not just our voices but our bodies. We get our binders and start doing stretches,” vocalized Tobias H., beginning freshman, “Then we focus on our songs like "Don’t Stop Believing," "Bella’s Finals," and "So Long, Farewell" to name a few.”

Ms. Hines really instills in her students that it is not about the size of each section (referring to sopranos, bases, tenors, and altos), but the heart and projection of the performers. She shows the students how to harmonize with each other to create one unified sound. She helps students use good vowels in their singing by making sure everyone is on the same page and by continuing to practice until change is made permanent.

Airport High School is starting small but is hoping to continue to grow the show choir program in the following years. They are building up a positive reputation for the school by going out and performing in the local community. This year there are around 2-3 performances set in stone. Next year the sky's the limit. They are hoping to attract more male voices to add a greater variety to the group.

Every student interviewed believes that show choir is a worthwhile extracurricular activity to join. “It gives you a chance to meet other people and create new friendships,” said Kori B. “It indulges my love for music. It helps me get out of my comfort zone by doing dance, and it keeps me busy between this and work,” stated Jace M. “It allows me to form new relationships with people who share common interests,” quotes Tobias H.

All in all, show choir is an activity for anyone who enjoys singing, dancing, and being the star of the show. It teaches students responsibility, time management, listening, and teamwork skills. Be on look out for next years upcoming audition and in the meantime be sure to come see the show choir perform.

Their first concert will be held on April 21, 2018 at 10 a.m. at the Kinetic Derby.

For more information on future tryouts please contact Ms. Hines at ahines@lex2.org. Now let’s get to work! Five-six-seven-eight!