There are many definitions of family, but there is one that would describe the show choirs best. Family: “Family consists of the people who support and love you, and the people you can confide in and trust” (Milton Hershey School). On Jan 15., the show choirs debuted their competition season with their themes being women’s history for North Stars and Found family for Vocal Pointe. Junior Noah Johnson, Ava Burbrink, and Senior Julia Merial spoke
about what the found family theme means to them and how it reflects the show choir’s relationships.
Although offered to freshmen, people often join show choir at different times in their lives.
“This is my third year in show choir, but my first in Vocal Pointe,” Burbrink said. “I also did titanium in middle school.”
However, Johnson and Merial both joined the show choir in their respective sophomore years. Despite this, they all seem to share the same mentalities regarding the show and how they handle the pressure on stage.
“I feel mostly excited [for the performance],” Merial said. “I do get butterflies before performing, but that is just part of the experience. Once we start, the nerves turn into adrenaline, and I focus on having fun and giving my all during the performance.”
Johnson describes his experience similarly.
“I’m definitely more excited than nervous,” Johnson said. “Stage fright goes away after a while.”
The performers enjoy the music they are singing as well.
“My favorite number we are performing is a mashup of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Think’ and ‘Respect,’” Merial said. “The choreography is really fun, and the whole group brings so much energy to it. It is one of those performances where you can feel the excitement from both the performers and the audience.”
Burbrink prefers the ballad as her favorite song.
“‘Chosen Family’, the ballad, is 100 percent my favorite song to sing as it is beautiful and emotional,” Burbrink said. “The closer is probably my favorite song to dance to as it is energetic and challenging.”
Chosen Family is the theme of Vocal Pointes show, and it’s meant to show the relationships made during the season.
“I think that this theme especially speaks to me and all of the friends I’ve made in choir,” Johnson said.
Burbink agrees, having a more personal reasoning behind her opinion.
“The theme of Chosen Family hits close to home as I do not have a super strong connection with my extended family,” Burbrink said.
Despite being in a different choir, Merial also agrees with the message.
“Yes, I would say that our group feels like a family, but in a realistic way,” Merial said. “We spend so much time together at rehearsals, competitions, and performances that we get really comfortable around each other. We joke around, support each other, and understand each other in a way people outside of show choir might not.”
All three agree that their favorite part of Show Choir was the people they met and the bonds they created.
“My favorite part of being in Show Choir is 100 percent the community and the performance,” Burbrink said. “Everyone tries to be positive and uplifting, and the end product we create is so much fun!”
