Choir is conducted in students' homes.
On March 15 I arrived back home in Bristol after a wonderful American Choral Directors Southern conference in Mobile, Alabama. Mountain Empire Children’s Choral Academy sent three singers to participate in regional honor choirs, and our student intern, Natalie Lugo, was chosen to participate in a prestigious conducting master class. We spent the week celebrating the human spirit in song, attending professional sessions, hearing great choral artists, and connecting with friends from around the region. Little did we know that it would be the last time we got to hear live music for a while.
We are happy to report that the music has not stopped. After taking two weeks to study the situation, we realized we could not go back to “in person” rehearsals. But, we also realized we would not stop having choir with our wonderful young singers.
We began having weekly Zoom meetings with our singers. During those meetings we rehearsed our spring repertoire, engaged in music reading activities, celebrated birthdays together and had time for the singers to chat and connect.
On our website we placed some music literacy activities, puzzles and games. We also uploaded rehearsal tracks for our singers to help them prepare for our virtual choir recordings. So far we have released two of these recordings, which can be viewed on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram. Another two are in production.
Our choir families loved these offerings.
“Choir over Zoom is the highlight of my entire week! Laughing, singing, and seeing my friends has been so important to me! Even though I am not there in person, choir has been so extremely fun and I love it so much!” - An ETCC singer
On our Facebook pages we have also posted performances from previous concerts. These posts have received many wonderful comments and have given people a lot of hope.
This summer we are continuing to offer enrichment programs at no additional cost for our singers. They may also “bring” friends.
We learned 14 American folksongs this semester, and we plan to have an evening to “sing around the campfire.” Singers and their families can join in around a campfire, their fire pits, or even a virtual fire.
We are also planning some lunchtime sessions where our singers can enjoy their lunches and hang out together in the MEC-CAfé! We will end each lunch session with some singing. Some virtual camps are also in the works.
In July, we released the video of the Highlands Youth Ensemble’s show: “21 Song Salute to the Troops!” for everyone to enjoy. This USO style show was performed at both Milligan College and the Barter Theatre this past February, and we were proud to be joined by the VFW post #6579 Honor Guard from Bristol. We know everyone will enjoy being able to see our great young musicians salute the troops in song and dance.
We are also planning a “virtual gala” fundraiser concert that will help to offset lost revenue and give tuition support to families who need it in these uncertain economic times.
We are committed to continuing to offer our music education programs for our singers, even as we seek to find more creative ways to live into our mission. We are planning a phased reopening, realizing that we may need to continue to gather online for a while. While we are online, we plan to continue weekly rehearsal sessions and will add collaborations with other choirs around the country and the world, as well as conversations with composers who will visit our Zoom sessions.
Visit www.meccacademy.org for more information or to make a donation.
