My first (but probably not last) post about show choir!

This weekend, Happiness inc had the pleasure of working with Brett Carrol, the director or Burbank High school's In Sync. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'll explain it to you. I'm talking about show choir. Show choir is the epitome of "performing arts". A simple definition is that we form a group of boys and girls who sing, choose some songs that you think seem cool and then figure out some choreography (dancing). We begin to figure out our songs and choreography in the fall and get our show together before January. Then in the early winter the group travels to various schools for a competition, and judges decide who has put on the best show and then awards are given. But that is a very underplayed description. Show choir has obtained cult status. It has grown so far from what it originally was. I realized this when I talked to an adult that was in Happiness when they were in high school. I casually mentioned my practice schedule and the kind of commitment you make to show choir at Kennedy. She was very surprised at how huge it has grown. Most of this growth has occurred in the past ten years. To be completely honest with you, I have absolutely no idea why, but things are like that, just suddenly becoming popular. At Kennedy, the choir program has always been strong. Our varsity show choir, Happiness inc, has been very successful in the past couple years. Last season, they were ranked 10th in the nation out of 5,000 groups.

This weekend we had a camp where Bret Carrol, the director of Burbank's In Sync, gave us some extra vocal technique instruction. Bret is a genius. Burbank is one of the top groups in the nation. Burbank, from Burbank California, has an enormous budget for their show. They produce a show with an actual set and multiple costume changes. The physical part isn't what makes them so good, though. Its their director, who has taught a certain way to make the choir sing that makes it sound amazing. This technique involves changing a certain part of the tone to make the sound carry farther. The effect is amazing, it makes the sound blow you away.

Here is a clip of Burbank's Ballad and one of their other numbers, so you can get an idea what I'm talking about.