8iu8Bustling streets in a city that never sleeps. Lights that outshine the stars in the night. New York welcomed White Station High School’s choir to perform at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan. The trip included rehearsals, sightseeing and the opportunity to meet students from other schools nationwide.
The group began their journey making their way to the airport in Nashville by bus, followed by a flight, which for some students marked their first time boarding a plane. “[Carnegie hall] was very large and intimidating,” Bailey Carr (9) said. “It was a lot like the hall [in] downtown [Memphis], the Cannon Center, just [with] more white and gold.”
The choir performed a piece containing three movements, where they sang alongside an orchestra. They had two days of rehearsal, along with months of preparation beforehand. Preparation for this performance began in late October, splitting off in their own specified voice range sections for finer practice and coming back together for a group rehearsal to put it all in place. Once in New York, the group had two rehearsals: one with the other participating schools and another with the orchestra. It was Saturday that they finally went on and performed in front of a full hall of people.
“[My reaction was] ‘What do you mean I’m singing in a music hall that really famous people have performed at, in front of a full house of people’” Gracie Lowe (11) said. “It was really cool.”
Being up north in a new city with a full group is no easy task, and so to keep up with everyone, students were divided into groups of five, each with one adult chaperone. These carpool groups went around town and got to experience New York in all its touristy glory. Groups visited several attractions, including museums, the Statue of Liberty and a multi-level Barnes & Noble.
“We got to see a Broadway musical,” Carr said. “There was even the original Broadway cast which was crazy.”
In addition to sightseeing, another thing brought by this trip was interacting with schools across other states. There they had seven other schools with them, including some from Florida and Kansas. Here they gained friendships that may not have happened had they not gone on this trip.
“We had around seven schools with us,” Lowe said. “I had thought it was only going to be us.”
But the New York experience didn’t end there. Students stayed at the Sheraton Hotel at Times Square. Meals varied depending on group preferences — some visited well-known restaurants, while others ate at street vendors or tried local favorites.
“We got to go eat Liberty Bagels,” Carr said. “It’s basically a rainbow bagel that has this sweet cream cheese.”
New York can bring thrilling excitement in itself, but that isn’t the only emotion that these students may have been feeling. Performing can be frightening no matter who or what it’s for, especially being out of state in a performance hall. Regardless of the rehearsals they had beforehand, they still only had one day to practice with the orchestra. Bringing in a new concept to adjust to the day before can be nerve racking, but it still had to be done. For some students, this was even their first time singing with an orchestra ever, making it an even newer concept to bring themselves to. But this, of course, did not stop the choir.
“You have to realize that these people wont ever see you again and you won’t see them,” Lowe said. “And even if they do see you, you won’t recognize them, so get up there, sing your song, do your dance and feel proud that you did it.”
The students who participated obviously played a major part in the performance, but so did the teacher, Daniel Massey. It took not only preparation for the group to sing, but also the planning for lodging, transportation, itinerary and student supervision
“I would like to thank Mr. Massey because he was great at organizing things,” Carr said. “Especially because there is only one of him in this big group with us in freaking New York.”
