Minor league training camp for high school show choir

Nevada Daily Mail

Tresa Bottles, the choir director at Nevada Middle School, has worked hard for the past two years to put together a show choir program for her students.

Although the show choir has been around for about five to seven years, Bottles noted, this is only her second year. It's her goal to raise the competitive level.

"It (the program) existed in some form in the past, but it was not as highly competitive a group." Bottles said that the group is designed to be a singing group first, then adds choreography, staging, and props to create a Las Vegas-style show.

Not only can students sing in the show choir group, but they can play instruments as well.

Bottles said there is a student who currently plays piano for the group, and in the past they have had students play the drums, keyboard, electric guitar, and bass guitar.

The set is built mostly by the parents because of the elaborateness, Bottles added. "Competitive choirs who do the best have amazing sets."

The sets change every year, along with the theme. Last year, the theme was "Light Up the World -- Making a Difference" and this year the theme is "Under Cover."

Bottles said that the eighth graders in the show choir perform songs that range from pop and standard choral literature to jazz, country, and show tunes.

Every year, the students attend at least five competitions. "The competitions are highly competitive and many amazing groups participate."

Last year, when the first competition took place, and the Nevada Middle School group received two second places and one first place award. They only competed three times, Bottles said.

The eighth graders go through a highly intense audition, Bottles added. "They have to go through a week-long clinic where they learn a two-minute choreography segment. They must prepare a minute long solo, as well as pass a teacher evaluation."

There are three judges brought in from out of the area to judge the audition, and only the students with the highest scores are accepted into the show choir group.

The eighth-grade group influences the seventh graders to do their own show choir tunes. "Seventh graders do 'show-choir' type songs for Anti-Van and they do another one for the spring concert. They focus mainly on singing technique and developing each individual singer."

The middle school show choir performs at the high school show choir competition. "Everything we do is meant to be training for the high school group. We are a team." Bottles said she teaches the eighth graders how to best perform and do well in competitions, to prepare them for future years at the high school.

The program is well established as the high school group has been around for more than 20 years.

"Peggy Graves, the previous high school choir director, was pivotal in bringing show choir to the southwest district."

That tradition has continued with Wes Morton, who is the vocal music director at NHS and directs the Soundsational Singers and Treble Effects.

Each year, NHS hosts the Show Choir Classic. The 24th annual competition arrives Saturday, Feb. 15.

All this makes for an enjoyable experience, said Bottles.

"This is a phenomenal group, with excellent support from parents. The community can be proud of the young people's efforts."