JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
The Randolph High School and Randolph Middle School choirs are heading for the home stretch of the 2012-13 school year, preparing for two concerts and two competitive events.
The choirs will showcase their vocal talents during their annual spring concert planned for 6 p.m. April 9 at the school's fine arts center. They will also compete in the Sound Waves Music Festival May 18 in New Braunfels and end the year with their pop concert at 6 p.m. May 21, also in the fine arts center. Middle school choir students will compete in the University Interscholastic
League Vocal Solo and Ensemble Contest April 20 at Bush Middle School in San Antonio.
The choirs' "Concert of Contest Music" April 9 will draw from their performances at UIL meets and the upcoming Sound Waves competition, Joyce Sullivan, Randolph choir director, said.
"This concert is for families and friends," she said. "It will be the third of our four concerts during the year."
The concert will feature the eighth-grade and high school choir singing "My Heart's in the Highlands," "Come Joyfully Sing" and "This Train," while the sixth- and seventh-grade choir will perform
"Shake the Papaya Down," "Yankee Doodle Song" and "On the Railroad." Both choirs will end the concert with "God Bless America."
Choir members come into the spring concert on the heels of a strong performance at the High School UIL Vocal Solo and Ensemble Contest Feb. 23 at Wagner High School in the Judson Independent School District. Freshmen Nicole Elefante and Sarah Mattison earned superior ratings in the solo competition and joined eighth-graders Chianne Floyd and Odyssa Alcantara in a quartet that also earned a superior rating.
"Eighth-graders are allowed to perform with high school students in an ensemble setting," Sullivan said.
Middle school students are looking forward to their own UIL event, she said.
"I'll be taking eight soloists from the sixth, seventh and eighth grades and the sixth- and seventh-grade choir will perform in the ensemble category," Sullivan said. "This competition is sponsored by the North East Independent School District, but it gives students a UIL experience in middle school. It gives them confidence."
High school and middle school choirs will compete at the Sound Waves festival competition, a Schlitterbahn-sponsored event for school orchestras, bands and choirs that will run for four successive Saturdays beginning April 27.
"We've gone every year I've been here," Sullivan, who is in her eighth year as choir director, said. "The standards are the same as UIL's. Judges are looking for good dynamics; the blending of voices; clear, crisp consonants; and tall, rounded vowels."
Randolph's choir tradition goes back four decades, with a string of UIL sweepstakes awards and superior ratings, Sullivan said.
"I try to foster a feeling of family, belonging and working toward a common goal," she said. "A choir is a team. You have to know the playbook, learn to read music, follow the director and work together."