A Collection of Randomness

SCA

Fair waring: this may be a bit of a long one and is more of a story than a rant. Enjoy :)

(the link at the top is our set. It's only the last three songs, but the first one is on the same channel if you feel like watching it)

So, recently I went to a camp called SCA (Showchoir Camps of America). 

When I first arrived, I was super nervous because I didn't know anyone there except for Izzy (Hi!). On top of that, we had to audition for placement into a group since we didn't go to Milikin with the entirety of our show choir. 

The audition could've went better in my opinion, but there was nothing I could do to change that, so I pushed it to the back of my mind. 

Later that night, we went to orientation and were introduced to all of the clinicians from that year. When I figured out that Stephen Todd was one of them, all the stress seemed to life off of my shoulders and I hoped that I would be put with a familiar face. 

There was one group that I did not want to be in, not because the people didn't seem nice, but because they seemed very intense, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle that on my first year. That group was choreographed by Corey Anderson (he was in La La Land + a backup dancer for Beyonce? it was someone current) and was directed by Judy Hanson (head director of Chicago Children's Choir).

The next thing that occurred: showering. Public showers have always been a bit of a no-no to me. I don't like the thought of all the fungi and warts not to mention people can easily walk in on  you, but it wasn't actually that bad. 

Fastforeward to the next day, Izzy and I got up at 6:15 which is actually 5:15 in our normal timezone (gross) and went down to breakfast to see what group we were placed in. 

She was placed in Jasperse, Chase and when I looked for my name on that list, no dice. I was a bit more nervous because of that, but when I saw whose group I was placed in, my heart started pounding. I was with Judy and Corey. 

When I went to practice that day, I walked in alone, but I was determined to have fun and make friends, so I did. I sat down next to Mal and Steph (love and miss you two) and we immediately hit it off. I am so grateful I met them. 

That first day, we learned a traditional Korean song called Arirang. It is considered the unofficial national anthem of both North and South Korea and is one of the few things that both countries share. I found it a truly beautiful song, and I'm glad Judy taught it to us. 

After that, we were put into small groups that we called our families (Jackson 16 where you at?) and got to know one another for a bit. Everyone in my group was so nice and accepting of each other. In fact, everyone in the Lemmings (our group name) even were amazing and welcoming people. 

When we were finished with introductions, our music was passed out. We got Something Just Like This for our opener, then Everybody Have Fun Tonight, For Forever as our ballad, and Beat It as our closer. Everyone was super hyped for this set. 

We worked on a bit of each song except for the ballad, then hopped right into choreographing. That first day, we learned the choruses to all three of our songs. 

The rest of the week went as the first day did. We sang for a bit, and then learned/cleaned our choreography. It's safe to say that my muscles were burning by the third day, especially my gluts, as we had to kneel during the beginning for our opener. 

When we weren't practicing, Mal, Steph, Izzy, and I were hanging out in the lobby of our dorm. We also had workshops that we went to after lunch. 

At night, there was a performance each day. These included Matt Doyle (broadway star) with Phil Reno, the staff talent show, student talent show, teacher show, and the acappella group Six Appeal. They were my favorite of the nights and were completely amazing. I one-hundred percent recommend that you check them out.