Inside In Achord Showcase

One of the hit shows this fall appears to be Fox's new show "Glee," which is about a school's rocking show choir. Well, Jamesville-DeWitt High School has its own show choir. We may not be performing "Don't Stop Believing" but we do something even better.

An entire showcase.

This year, In Achord is putting on its third annual In Achord showcase. We are performing a bunch of songs from two Broadway musicals. Act One will be a medley from "Bye, Bye Birdie." Act Two will be "The Lion King." It is going to rock.

The thing is, not many people know that much about the showcase, in especially compared to the musical. We need a little more publicity. With the musical, all we need to do is tell people when the musical is and people show up in droves, because of the stellar reputation that the musical has had for years. In Achord showcase is just as entertaining, but not as popular. As a way of giving In Achord showcase more publicity, I'm going to give you an inside look of what really goes on in In Achord.

In Achord '09-'10 began with auditions back in June. Each member had to sing a part of a song for a panel of judges. Then, if that passed muster, we were on to callbacks.

At callbacks, the real stress began. First, there was sight-reading, which many singers dread, even though it doesn't count as much as other components. But everyone made it through alive and moved on to the next part of callbacks.

In the next part everyone split into two groups. One group went to learn an a cappella quartet (song without music underneath the singing), while the other learned a complicated dance that included lots of kicks, spins, jumps, and fast-paced leg and arm movements. It was a dance from "The Lion King" so it had that African feel along with the feeling of animalism mixed in. That dance will be included in the showcase as a round, making it even more visually awesome.

Then, the whole group combined to perform the quartet in groups of eight, with two on each part, and perform the dance in groups of four.

A few days later, In Achord '09-'10 was formed.

This year's group is getting a special treat that will bring our performing to a whole other level. We usually work through our showcase with a Broadway conductor, Kevin Stites, who has been a large part of In Achord for years. His credentials include the music supervisor/musical director/conductor for "Titanic," the conductor/musical director for "Les Misérables" at the Hollywood Bowl, among others.

In addition to Mr. Stites, when we take our annual trip to New York City, we will be working with a legendary Broadway director Richard Jay-Alexander. Just looking at this man's bio is daunting. He's been involved in almost every big musical; the original "Les Misérables," "Phantom of the Opera," "Miss Saigon," and the list goes on and on. While it's a little nerve-wracking, we know that this experience will make us better people and better performers, and one of the best shows in the area's high school. What other group in town works with people with such remarkable Broadway credits?

As this article is being written, we are deep into rehearsing for our showcase. What do rehearsals look like? Well, during the summer, we spent two four-hour rehearsals choreographing "The Circle of Life." This song is divided into diverse animal groups, so each animal (lion, goat, zebra, monkey, bird, gazelle, and elephant) has different movements at certain parts. So, while Shannon Tompkins, our choreographer, was working with the gazelles, the rest of the group would be rehearsing other choreography or practicing music. Singing in Swahili is much harder than singing in English. Or playing games like Mafia or charades outside or in the chorus room.

This goofing-off is not detrimental to the group, but helps form the deep bond that makes In Achord special. A lot of group members and I feel like we are a second family. For example, if someone missed a choreography rehearsal, another member walks the person through the dance with no prompting, even while that dance is being run.

We all get giggly and wound up just being together, especially doing fun numbers like "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" from "The Lion King" or "The Telephone Hour" from "Bye, Bye Birdie."

By the end of the year, even the freshmen and new members will feel as if they always belonged in In Achord.

I first joined In Achord as a sophomore and our first showcase was a medley of the shows "Aida", "A Chorus Line," and "Hairspray." We also did three more contemporary songs.

Last year, the showcase was split into two acts. Each act was a medley of the Broadway musicals "Once On This Island" and "Wicked."

The format of the showcase is the same as last year, but we're branching out a little. "The Lion King" falls underneath the category of a medley of a newer musical, like the previous years. But, "Bye, Bye Birdie" is an older musical (1960) with a completely different sound. The music is difficult. The melodies and harmonies are complex to follow, but when they are sung together, the result is full of enough power to knock your shoes and socks off.

So, this year's showcase will have something for everyone. A little of the old musicals, and a little of the new. But, the group needs something besides great music and a family. And that extra something is an audience. So, on November 6 and 7 at 7:30 pm come see JDHS's show choir perform in the annual In Achord Showcase.