The Free State Choir program is preparing to take a trip up to Seattle, Wash., for an opportunity to get a broader sense of the music scene that Seattle has to offer, while also performing at multiple venues.
Aurora choir member Mira Jackson-Rosen said that the excitement surrounding this trip is a mix of feelings since some choir members are not able to attend.
“There are still some fundraisers up, and people can donate,” Jackson-Rosen said. “People were barely able to afford it for their one kid, so it’s hard for them to be able to afford it for other students”.
Aurora choir member junior Sofia del Valle said that the choir program takes a trip like this every three years, so that each student has the opportunity to go at least once during high school.
“When you’re a freshman, you can’t go, so you have one trip for your entire high school career,” del Valle said. “So there’s some people who get to go twice, and other people who only get to go once”.
Del Valle said that some of the main goals for this trip would involve the performance aspect, which might be rough depending on the class.
“For a lot of the juniors, I think a lot of them kind of just want the trip part and not the choir part. I’d say the seniors are more aware of the choir parts that are involved in it,” del Valle said.
Del Valle said that not being able to attend this trip isn’t a missed opportunity, yet missing out on some fun memories might be a downside.
“Being around a select group of people that are all very outgoing for so many days in a row, and you’re in a big city, it might be a lot all at once,” del Valle said. “You might miss some fun memories that will be talked about in class.”
Choir teacher Joshua East said that some of the main goals for this trip are to expose choir members to new things not found in Kansas, while also focusing on the performances that they have while in Seattle.
East said some of the things that can be gained from this experience are related to growing closer with one another and growing as a department.
“When you have a shared experience, good or bad, it brings people closer together,” East said.
