Vocal Arts Day

So, first of all, hi! I'm new to this whole blogging thing so you'll have to bear with me.... Okay, so, on with it. On Saturday I went to the Women's Vocal Arts day at the University of Michigan. I wasn't sure how it was going to be at first but it turned out to be extremely fun. At the registration table, all we had to do was tell them what school group we were with and they gave us our name tags. Then we went to the auditorium where they had us separated into animal groups. (Don't worry, we didn't understand it either) We found the Jaguar group leader to claim our music and our Women's Vocal Arts Day t-shirts. We had about 10 minutes to look over our music and marvel at how many girls attended. (approx. 750! Wow!) At first we were a bit timid because 2 of the 4 songs that they had given us were in other languages. We figured that it didn't matter because if we (me and two other girls who attend the same choir as I do) messed up, there were 700 other girls to cover for us. All three of us sang in the Soprano 1 section. There where 4 different vocal ranges represented. Going from highest to lowest, it was Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto 1, and Alto 2. We warmed up for about 10 minutes and then began to work on our first song, 'Eiliyahu Hanavi.' It was easier than we thought. Our director when through each word with us to make sure that we were pronouncing it right. I have to say that 750 girls singing 3 part harmony is incredible to hear. I don't think I'll ever get over that! We practiced for an hour and 15 minutes, working on three different songs. Then it was 'fun' time. (notice the quotation marks) We had to collectively, in our animal group come up with a sound or an action for that animal. My group just held up our hands like claws and growled. After 'fun' time we were dismissed for lunch. We ended up eating at a small place called Pizza Bob's. It was inexpensive and the pizza was good so we were happy. (It wasn't mobbed by a large group of high schoolers either! Big plus!!) We got back to the auditorium just in time to get into the bathroom line so it wasn't incredibly long. Just as soon as we got settled in our seats it was time to start again. We practiced for 45 minutes and then it was 'fun time' again. *Large groan* We held our breath to hear what they had planned for us this time. Telephone? Telephone!?!?!? That's a game that you play when you're 4! Not when you're in high school! We were getting pretty annoyed at whoever planned these activities. But, it had to be done, so, we gathered. It was kind of funny how the message morphed from 'Mrs. Stockard has a sparkly shirt on.' to 'Doctor Sherlock is a bunny.' but I couldn't help but wonder how they got that many high school age girls to play a preschoolers game. When I expressed my concerns to one of the other girls, she responded with, 'Yeah, 750, minus the 500 that ran to hide in the bathroom!' We had a final 45 minute rehearsal to perfect the pieces then we broke to prepare for the concert. Our day of singing was drawing to a close. I rushed to the bathroom so to get there before the line formed. (I had to change into my formal skirt for the concert) Then, our choir director picked us up and drove us the the concert auditorium. We sat with our vocal ranges, (completely forgetting the animal groups) waiting for the concert to start. The boys from the male vocal arts program and the men's Glee Club went first. It was kind of distracting because the girls all around me, being typical high school girls, picked out the 'cutest' guys from the Glee Club. They even went to the extreme of taking their cell phones, zooming in on their favorite's face, and snapping a picture. Finally it was our turn to sing. As always, it seemed to go by incredibly quickly. There were a few sore spots, but I think we did well for only one day of practice. We nailed the harmony! The final thing on the agenda was the women's Glee Club. The finale was a huge medley of a ton of songs praising the university. It ended with almost everyone in the auditorium singing 'Hail to the Victors.' Thus, my day long vocal strain was over. I celebrated by eating out at a Coney Island with my parents (who thought that we did very well). Then, I went home and started this blog. That's all I can think of to say, so, I guess this post is done.