Football championships, basketball playoffs, and soccer tournaments—all events perceived as public fruitions of the hard work these programs and players that comprise them all put in. One program that is not as widely recognized is our school’s fine arts department, namely the choir. It may seem surprising that the choir itself does more than sing for quarterly concerts but actually competes in its own “playoff.”
The Choral Performance Assessment (CPA) gathers choirs around Middle Tennessee to sing three prepared songs and sightread in hopes of continuing on to get ranked at a state level. Blackman’s A Cappella choir has spent months of tedious work building up to this event, and it should not go unnoticed! Blackman performed three songs, receiving all superiors from the judges, and sightread excerpts, resulting in more superiors and the chance to go to state.
Speaking to members of the choir, this event has proven beneficial. The experience itself provided much more than further musical knowledge. According to junior Madison Steormer, “I gained a lot of confidence…it is always a team effort, so I mostly learned a lot of overcoming difficulties working in such a big group.”
It is true that the songs that they sing are a work of collaboration. The musicality and individuality that each musician brings to the table creates a unique and thoughtful story. Out of all three songs performed, the crowd favorite was “Across the Vast Eternal Sky,” by Ola Gjeilo. Throughout this piece, the choir sings of a Pheonix and its remarkable journey as it bursts into flames. The accompaniment and stylistic choices made by the group ebbs and flows, allowing the audience and judges to glimpse into this bittersweet story.
Senior chorister Ymani Morrow concurs that “Across the Vast Eternal Sky” was the favorite piece of the night, remarking that “it tells such an emotional story which allows me to sing it with passion.” Being a senior, she is very pleased with the outcome of the night. She asserts that “it feels good to end it knowing that we made such an achievement, and I hope we rank high at state!”
Following this successful outcome, the choir’s work is far from over as they prepare for the state competition and fine arts showcase. Preparing for State entails fixing details based on judges’ notes and continuous hard work to maintain the already fantastic standards they have set.
Choir has proven to be a program comparable to football, basketball, and soccer, and their efforts are shaping Blackman into a rounded and reputable school. So, while the efforts may be unbeknownst and underappreciated by an outside perspective, there is much more happening, and to come, from the decorated group.
