Hard work pays off for Mundelein High School show choirs

Submitted by Mundelein High School District 120

Mundelein High School's show choirs recently wrapped up their season of competition with wins at the Herscher Swing and Sing Invitational. The all-male show choir, SoundFX, was named Grand Champion in the Unisex Division with the all-female group, Lights, right behind as first runner-up. The mixed group, Sound, took the second runner-up spot in the Open Class Division. All three groups did well in their other competitions at Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin; Davenport, Iowa; and Arlington Heights. SoundFX was the winner in three of the four competitions.

For the roughly 100 students in the three groups and in their band, Noise, it is a season of intense hard work, rehearsal and a lot of fun. Cory Thompson and Stevee Bellas direct the vocal music program at MHS.

"I absolutely love spending my weekends (from January through March) with these students and their families," Thompson said. "Despite the negative image that some people have about high schoolers, I find them to be hard working, energetic, motivated and just plain fun to be around. The weekends are definitely long, but it is fun to watch the students working so hard and trying their very best onstage. We all cheer for each other when we're performing and celebrate each other's triumphs," she said.

The students and their directors begin work each year in August after choosing a theme for the year and the tunes and choreography that they will incorporate into a show. According to Bellas, most directors will pick a theme for each show (a set of four to five songs) in order to have some continuity within the show. This year, the theme for the Lights show was the elements, so there were songs that had to do with fire, rain, water, sky, etc. The groups rehearse during class time but they also put in rehearsal time some evenings and weekends. But the young musicians don't complain.

"I enjoy the fact that I get a chance to perform, travel, compete and create a strong bond with everyone involved," said Hannah Weiss, a member of both Sound and Lights. "The most fun thing for me is bettering myself as a musician and overall performer and spending time with my friends being in a group who all have the same passion for performing."

"The hardest thing about competing is sitting in the auditorium seats, watching other groups performing and getting scared!" said Colin Nacion who performs with SoundFX and Sound. "But it just gives you another reason to up your game and perform much better."

It seems that it is the combination of the hard work, the competition and the "togetherness" that keeps the members of the groups returning year after year.

"When these kids show up at MHS at 4 a.m., half asleep, jammed together on a bus for a long drive, then spend 17 hours together at the competition site to then go back on the bus and get back to MHS at 1:30 a.m., it really bonds them," Thompson said.

"While competition weekends are long, they are such a great opportunity for students to experience other shows from around the country, meet other students, and encourage each other to perform their best," Bellas said. "Seeing the bond that students create during our travels, and hearing them talk about what they saw and experienced during the weekend is the best 'effect,' in my opinion. They speak so openly about their reflection of their experience, and it's really such a cool thing to observe."

For students who are in multiple groups like Payton Cousins who performs with both Lights and Sound, the competition weekends can be grueling.

"We have to perform multiple times per day and sometimes with hours in between," she said. "Keeping your motivation throughout the breaks can be tough, but Mrs. Thompson and Ms. Bellas do a great job of pumping all of us up before every performance."

The students make sure that it isn't all work, however.

David West, a member of both Sound and SoundFX, said "I enjoy getting to take part in a competitive activity that isn't a sport. Because of all the time we spend together, it's easy to joke around with everyone, including the directors, while still being successful. Since you tend to know everyone it makes the overall experience more fun."

The season may have just ended but plans for next year are already underway. There are songs to choose, choreography to plan, a theme to develop and everything else that is necessary because for these show choir students, the show must go on.