The Hastings High School Show Choir has to work around other extracurriculars and the many things that keep students these days. When performance times comes around, though, Hastings Show Choir takes center stage.
The choirs’ Riverside Company was named grand champion at the prestigious “Rock the North” competition at North St. Paul High School Feb. 10. They won honors for Best Vocals, Best Choreography and Best Band. Hastings’ Dynamic Edition was also fifth runner-up at the competition.
Director Luke Warren said it’s been a difficult season, and the choir members never cease to impress him.
“For Riverside, especially, it’s been tough. We were supposed to start our season in Sioux Falls (in January), and our first competition got canceled because of weather, which was an interesting false start to the year. We were all ready to go. We had the trailer and everything packed, and it got cancelled last minute, which is such a bummer because we have so few opportunities to compete with these shows on a yearly basis.”
There were only five scheduled competitions on the calendar this year, and the choir members have certainly been making the best of that.
“To have one less is not ideal for the kids, but it’s been a good learning process. We’ve been out the last three weeks, and we’ve improved our placement ever week.”
Those three hectic weeks culminated in the Riverside Company’s dominating performance and featured a great finish by the prep-level Dynamic Edition.
“It was great at Rock the North. Riverside was grand champion. We took grand champion. We took festival’s best band, best choreography, and our prep group was first in their division and then ended up making the night finals with all the varsity groups, which is a really cool accomplishment,” said Warren.
Warren said show choir is about continual improvement and his students are dedicated to that.
“Competitive arts are such an interesting concept. I think we try our best around here to acknowledge the realities of competitive arts, which is that there is inherent subjectivity to all of it. In terms of our goal setting, we try to stay away from setting goals as tangible as we want to win or we want to do this,” he said. “It’s a lot more about our own self-improvement. It’s a lot about our own journey, improving the show, working through the feedback that we’ve been getting the last three weeks. How do we use our rehearsal time effectively, to put our best foot forward, and I think that’s what I’ve been the most proud of with these kids, just watching the growth in the show and then ultimately having them get rewarded for it is also fun. That’s a good deal for them.”
Warren is amazed at the amount of talent he’s seeing perform this year.
“We’ve seen some incredible groups this year, so even to come out on top of one is a really huge achievement,” he said.
Show choir rehearsals are scheduled to make it work for students.
“We have busy kids who are involved in tons of stuff outside of the music area. They’re balancing a lot of things. We have kids who are athletes who are balancing a sport with academic clubs, theater productions, things like that. There’s a lot happening for them. They’re table to compartmentalize and work on the things we need to bring it out when it’s time,” said Warren.
This year’s show is especially intricate and that has motivated the choir members.
“The show that I wrote for them this year is really challenging. It’s probably the hardest show that we’ve put together in my time here. It is supremely challenging both from the vocal charts that I wrote and the choreography that they were given,” said Warrant. “We’re really trying to push them and keep moving this forward. They’ve risen to the challenge and accepted that. We’re here to measure our own personal growth and challenge ourselves past what maybe we think is possible. In the last month, they’ve really stepped up and demonstrated their willingness to go past what they even expected themselves. That’s really fun.”
On Saturday, Hastings High School hosts its Swinging on the River competition, a huge undertaking that requires all choir hands – and community volunteers – on deck. It features 19 groups from throughout the Midwest. Hastings’ groups won’t compete that day, but they will hold an exhibition performance at the end of the day.
The final competition the Show Choir Spectacular at Totino-Grace High School. It’s the longest-running show choir competition in Minnesota, and Hastings is one of 16 schools chosen to participate.
“It’s been an exciting year. Our program is really hitting its stride and we’re super proud of our kids,” said Warren.
