Conference Vocal Clinic 2023
Overview of the 2023 Conference Vocal Clinic
By: Anabelle Vinson and Callie Hoffman
Director Brett Everett from Hastings College led the Osmond choir along with 6 other schools from the the Lewis and Clark Conference Vocal Clinic: Randolph, Wynot, Wausa, Winside, Creighton, and Bloomfield. Students felt he was an excellent director and helped them find their voices. He not only taught the students how to sing the proper notes, but how to change their intonation and vowel shaping. After numerous rehearsals, the students were dismissed for lunch.
At 5:00 p.m., audience members started making their way into the gym for the choir performance. The students started with a few mass choir pieces, such as “Amani Utupe” and “United We Stand.” The honor choir sang “I’ll Make A Difference.” In order for a student to earn the privilege of singing in the honor choir, they must audition beforehand and be selected by the directors. Erin Wagner and Donovan Heiman earned this privilege, and Erin was selected to sing a solo as well. After the honor choir performance, each school performed their song of choice. The Osmond chorus sang “The Cuckoo.” The song had a funky rhythm and tune that made it enjoyable to sing and listen to.
Director Christlin Ginn believed the Conference Vocal Clinic went well and stated, “I thought this year’s Conference Vocal Clinic was very successful. I thought the students were very well prepared for the Conference and it was really fun to be able to work together with the other schools. It was really awesome to take some of the music from the Conference and apply it to the rest of the week.”
Overall, the Conference Vocal Clinic is an excellent opportunity for choir students. Students are able to meet new friends and possibly form lasting relationships. They are also able to experience new directors' techniques and ideas. This can help them learn new skills and find different strategies to help them become better musicians.