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Seems to be a lot of places claiming to be the inspiration. Back in the “day” I did show choir and Carmel was a powerhouse (and our rival also! :)) I was just at Findlay High School (OH) yesterday for a show choir competition, and they said the show called and asked for some info and for some props with their name on it to be used in the show (most notably Sue’s coffee cup…apparently it is from Findlay. So they claim a little fame, too.)</p>
<p>I am anxious for you guys to know that “Glee” is not a good representation of show choir…at all. What they do is more like a music video…what our choirs do is seriously choreographed, vocally challenging and downright aerobic. Altho we are not supposed to post YouTube links, I would suggest you check out “2010 Bishop Luers Minstrels” (sorry…it is my kids’ show choir, I am sure there are many others…but that’s the one I know.) It will give you a true picture of show choir in the Midwest…and is darn entertaining. Notice that the groups are large (probably averaging about 40 singer/dancers and 10 band members). They only put up one song at a time, but you can get the idea of the variety of numbers (avg. 25-minute show) and the “showmanship” that goes into it.</p>
<p>One of the posters talked about the disadvantage of being in show choir because when do you have time to go to “lessons”…I hear that, but would argue that a competitive show choir IS lessons…dance, amazing vocals, and “acting” training…watch the kids “sell it.” My kids still had time for private vocal lessons, piano lessons (as well as being in school and community theatre…altho this was mostly in the summer), but this was an AWESOME training ground…and the kids really push each other, too.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for sharing your stories…keep em coming.</p>