Students from various choirs took to the stage on Feb. 26 for the annual vocal solo show. Each performer selected a song of their choice, devoting time to personalizing and preparing for the show with the guidance of performing arts teacher Paul Keilbach.
The process of assembling the program began with auditions. Keilbach shared the three key elements he searches for in each audition: variety, preparation, and performance.
“We want to make sure the program for the vocal solo show is interesting for the audience. So one thing I’m looking for is variety,” Keilbach said. “Another thing I’m looking for is preparation. Students who come into the audition who have their music memorized and they know what they’re gonna sing, that shows that they took the time to prepare. Another thing is the singing. How does it sound?”
Once a program of 20 performances was selected, students privately trained with Keilbach, in addition to participating in a master class with vocal coach Kristin Towers Rowles.
“It was really fun. Overall, [the master class] helped make the performances better,” Jasiri Johnson ’27 said.
Raquel Reyes ’27 shared that culminating months of training with a performance was a rewarding experience.
“I really loved being on stage, especially after COVID. Being in front of an audience that big was really exciting for me,” Reyes said. “Getting to be on stage again was really fun and it just reminded me why I put so much work into what I do.”
Reyes said that working with peers who share the same passion was an exciting opportunity that enriched the process.
“The most fun part of being in the vocal solo show was getting to do it with my friends and being surrounded by other people who have similar interests as me; getting to learn from them and challenge myself to do the best I can,” Reyes said.
Johnson said that he recommends taking advantage of the possibilities and experiences that the vocal solo show offers.
“[If] you are given the opportunity to do the vocal solo show, you one hundred percent should because it’s really fun and it helps you get out of your comfort zone,” Johnson said.
Keilback shared that he was very proud of the brave students who took part in the show.
“I was really proud of their performance. A lot of students this year were very nervous and anxious about performing in front of a big audience. For some of them it was the first time doing a solo by themselves and that can be really challenging for some people,” said Keilbach. “I was really proud of them for how they worked through and overcame that challenge and still had a really great show.”
In the future, Keilbach aspires to continue expanding the program by including songs of greater variety.
“I really like that [the vocal solo show is] an opportunity for students to choose their own music so I think that I want to continue to keep that aspect of it, but I would like to have even more variety in the program,” Keilbach said.
