An Exciting Week for Choir Members
ATTENTION FOR ANOTHER REASON WHY KENTUCKY IS THE BEST STATE EVER: a wonderful rendition of the KMEA 2018 All State Choirs singing the national anthem (which is a tradition) on the balconies of the Hyatt in Louisville - this experience is unforgettable no doubt pic.twitter.com/THfsIMEfln
— Ella Grimm ("ella_grimm_) February 8, 2018
It's an annual tradition for All-State participants to gather around and sing the national anthem. This year the song gained attention from a large number of Twitter members, the video recieving over 20 thousand views. Credit to @ella_grimm_ on Twitter.
Choir continues to sing, but this time at a new level.
A few members of Bullitt East’s choir traveled into Louisville for the annual KMEA All-State gathering.
The event took place from February 7 to February 9. The students that attended from Bullitt East were Kaleigh Foster, senior; Joey Byrd, senior; Brittney Hopper, senior; and Matthew Brown, junior. Many noted how exciting the weekend was, as it was fit with singing, friend reunions and fun.
KMEA (Kentucky Music Educators Association) hosts the yearly event. It takes place at both the Hyatt Hotel and Kentucky Center for the Arts.
All members who made it first start at the Hyatt Hotel. For the first two days, the students got up early and sang from 9-12, and then again from 1:30-5. These two days consisted of singing practice for their final day at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.
There was an estimated 800 students who made it to the event, and this was further divided into three separate choirs. Each individual choir was made up of around 200 to 300 kids.
Between a busy schedule of singing, the students got to have breakfast and lunch with other fellow choir members from all over the state. “We had to get Starbucks [for breakfast every morning],” said senior Foster.
All four attendees from Bullitt East noted how fun the event was. “I just loved singing with a group of people with the same passion for music that I have,” said senior Byrd.
Foster also enjoyed how much time she got to spend with fellow choir students. “I loved meeting a lot of new people,” said Foster.
Foster also loved immersing herself into a new group of people, a new learning style and a new singing experience. She noted how nice the learning experience was, and how quickly close she grew with the people around her. “I loved the aspect of the whole thing,” said Foster.
Byrd also felt that he took something from All-State. “I feel like I have truly become a better singer because of this experience,” said Byrd.
Hopper also noted that it was one of her favorite experiences. “It was one of the best times in my life,” said Hopper.
Members also enjoyed meeting up with older choir members. They enjoyed reuniting with Emma Pinkley, who was in choir her freshman year, but then had to move schools. “It was cool to get caught up,” said Hopper.
Foster also enjoyed meeting back up with Pinkley. “It’s just crazy because we can come back after two years of not talking to each other and be best friends like the old days,” said Foster.
Even though the event was fun, some had mixed emotions about the final performance held at the Center for the Arts.
Foster explained her want for one more sectional and more time to memorize before the final performance. “Very good… just not to its fullest potential,” said Foster.
Hopper also attributed jitters to the lack of a perfect performance. “It caused a few people to forget things we learned in rehearsal, like dynamics and phrases from foreign songs,” said Hopper.
Choir members looked forward to coming back home after the event. They will look forward to their next chance to sing in front of a crowd at their annual spring concert in April.
