The St. Bernard Show Choir recently attended Disney’s Magic Music Days in Orlando, Florida. Show Choir director, Dr. Rebecca Whited said, “We were very excited to participate in this workshop designed especially for our choir.”
Early in the semester, Whited submitted a video to the Disney team to evaluate the show choir’s performance level. After an extensive review, they were invited to attend the workshop. The musical advisors worked with the group on singing, communicating the song, stage presence and choreography.
Elizabeth Schweers, a senior at St. Bernard, said the trip was amazing. “I remember when we were thinking about going to Disney. None of us thought it would happen, but we were pleasantly surprised when we started our fund raising efforts.”
The workshop proved to be beneficial to all students. Disney instructors conveyed to students the importance of having the ability to sing, dance and act. One of the Disney instructors said, “Every performance has to tell a story which can not be done with just a pretty voice and a spiffy dance step. A story must be told using facial features and one’s composure.”
At the beginning of the workshop, students did some warm up vocal work and elementary dance steps. Schweers said, “We ran through the music a few times, and then it was time to learn the dance.” Even though it was the most eagerly anticipated part of the workshop, according to Schweers it was also the most feared. “Thomas, our instructor, told us the best way to remember our dances were through word association,” continued Schweers. “The dance was pretty intense, but everyone loved it.”
At the final dress rehearsal, students had to sing, dance, and let their expressions tell the story. During their performance, the show choir was surprised by an appearance of Minnie Mouse. Whited said, “When she walked in, it was as if everyone stopped dancing. They were so surprised.”
While at Disney the students enjoyed the theme parks as well. Whited, speaking on behalf of the show choir, thanked Fr. Joel Martin , Headmaster at SBP, for the opportunity to attend this workshop. She also conveyed her appreciation for the work done by the chaperones, Dr. Genero Varquez, Dr. James Gauthier, Mrs. Valerie Ginas, Miss Katie Hawkins, and Br. Peter Chi.
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