A Weekend Unlike Others

Although I was able to briefly discuss my experience at the ACDA choir in class, I appreciate the opportunity to comment about it on a forum. First, obviously, I was completely disappointed when I found out that it had been shortened to half the day, and the concert would be informal. Mainly because I had woken up so early, but also because it made me nervous to think that I would be getting up on a stage and performing music that I was only somewhat comfortable with in less than five hours. When we arrived and met our director, I knew I was in for a treat. With clearly a beautiful voice, this impressive woman, although stressed for time, was able to convey what she was looking for quickly and efficiently, while also in a fun manner. Once we started singing I realized this experience would be very different than that of Districts or Semsba due to the lack of tenors and bases. I was always used to hearing an unbelievable men’s section at these festivals, but instead was greeted by a treble sound. While this was, at first, a bit unfulfilling, I soon began to appreciate the sound we made as young women. During the rehearsal, I was instilled with confidence in my own musical abilities, because although I was rather unfamiliar with the music, I could quickly sight sing and learn my part by ear; something I was unaware of before that day. After a quick three hours of practice a man told us it was time to go perform. Kalli and I looked at each other completely terrified. Never before had I felt so unprepared for a concert. As the boys sang we listened in awe and I began to realize, unlike at Districts or Semsba when we had the ability to practice details, our concert would not be aiming for perfection, but rather for not a failure. As we nervously crept onto the risers and began singing, although timid, were able to succeed through the songs. As we came to the final song "No Rocks a Cryin'" there comes a time when the director decides how many times you perform the repeat. Considering that we barely knew our notes, I figured we would repeat it maybe three times. However, after our fifth repeat I began to realize a lesson more important than any other that I have learned at Districts or Semsba. Even if our musicianship wasn't perfect, and the day was cut short, I wasn't wearing concert attire, and our director knew we didn't reach our full potentially, we were able to enjoy the music for what it was. We had gathered at this University to sing on a Saturday morning because that is what we love to do, and we wanted to celebrate it. And in that moment, I had hoped we would sing the repeat forever. In conclusion, although past festivals such as Districts or Semsba have provided me with extremely valuable lessons regarding my vocal technique, I appreciated the importance of this festival the most and was reminded that, at the end of the day, we sing because it makes us happy.