By ANNISTON WEBER
HHS Guidon
Students who auditioned and made it in to the Hays High School Chamber Singers group last school year recently participated in jumpstart.
In order for students to get ahead in learning music, jumpstart rehearsals take place the week before school begins. This year, jumpstart was held Aug. 8 – 11 for two hours each day.
During this time, team, leadership and communication skills are also a key part in the jumpstart process.
One of the activities the Chamber Singers participated in involved each person dumping a packet of glitter into a container with glue and water.
Three-year Chamber Singer member, senior Hayden Sillmon, said this was his favorite activity.
“The glitter signified what our group wants to be,” Sillmon said. “When you start out, it’s all separate. But when you shake the container, all the glitter comes together and forms one color.”
Sillmon added he believed the game taught an important lesson.
“This is what Chamber Singers should be,” Sillmon said. “One, unified group.”
Junior Taya Randle said being involved with Chamber Singers has shown her how important music is.
“Jumpstart gives you the opportunity to connect with everyone,” Randle said. “We also start working on music, so we are already ahead of the game by the time school starts.”
The group also participated in an activity where they had to work as a team to put a story together.
“It was honestly a pretty stressful game,” Randle said. “It really showed us how important it is to try and work together. If we don’t work together we will just be a jumbled mess, just like the game.”
“The jumpstart activities are very important,” Sillmon said. “Some of the members come in not knowing anyone. Jumpstart gives us a chance to get comfortable with each other while learning difficult music.”
Randle said she is looking forward to seeing how the group grows.
“We’ve spent a short amount of time together,” Randle said. “Our group already is learning how to blend and sing well as a team.”
For junior Emily Ricke, this is the first year she has been involved with Chamber Singers and jumpstart.
“I was in Concert Choir last year and there are well over 70 people in that class,” Ricke said. “Chamber Singers is different because I feel like since there is only 28 of us we really get to know everyone.”
Senior Rachelle Lumpkins is also a first year member to Chamber Singers.
“Chamber Singers is different from Concert Choir because of how fast we progress,” Lumpkins said. “It would have taken weeks to get through all the music that we did in four days, and months to be as advanced as we currently are.”
Lumpkins added she is excited to see what the school year has to offer.
“I’m very excited to participate in Dinner Show,” Lumpkins said. “I really can’t wait to have fun singing and learning new things every day.”