The New Era Show Choir waited throughout Saturday, performing last to see if they made the coveted night show on March 7 at Carroll High School.
As the judges began to reel off the names of the top performing choirs for the evening, they did not name Churubusco. All the favorite big schools were picked one after another – Huntington, Carmel, Anderson Highland, DeKalb, Homestead and the last to perform … Churubusco New Era Show Choir!
contributed by Doug Ahlfeld
A solid wave of proud students – and parents – leaped in joy of having accomplished another milestone of making the night show at Carroll, a well-respected annual event, which drew the likes of a national champion such as Carmel High School.
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After the joy had subsided, the thought of being the last to perform, after a long 12-hour day, and then to be in last place was not out of their minds. Our kids were up against schools they had never defeated before in the history of our show choir program. Yet, there was a spark never before seen in this talented group as the audience roared in appreciation at their afternoon show. Now the students knew where they stood and the gauntlet was placed before them to go where they had never gone before.
If you have never been to a show choir performance, you need to know there is a brief 20-minute window to showcase your singing and dancing talents. It is a burst of energy which cannot subside except for dynamic moments of change in the sound and character of the program. To wait all day and then all night to maintain that energy and character is the ultimate challenge. Since they perform the same program at night as performed in the day, the nuances are all gone and the judges know what to expect. It is the school who can come out and not only do as well, but maintain their position or better it.
As they say in show business, for one brief shining moment, this, was our moment. The show has a slow acapella moment (no musical accompaniment) which has to grow and build to the next even more upbeat song, which changes to a tearful ballad of a girl struggling with cancer. Then it is the turn to home which cannot miss a beat and raise to a crescendo the judges can’t forget. All of those things came into place Saturday night, with the ultimate fate being in the judges hands, hoping they saw something new, something different about the little school no one gave any respect.
Who would be last?
The vote was not Churubusco, but it was a school they had never defeated. Who would be fifth? It was not the small school outside of Allen County and the big Schools of Fort Wayne. It was another school they had never defeated. Who would be fourth out of this multi-talented array of showstoppers? This time, it would be Churubusco.
No, they were not the winner – Carmel won with a total of over 170 points – but the Churubusco New Era finished within 6 points of 2nd place. It was a tremendously close competition.
A very proud father watched his son pick up the trophy as nearly as tall as he was on that stage, on that night, which saw a group of students make a profound statement. You don’t have to be big in numbers or a vast community of tens of thousands.
You have to have the heart and the belief that one day … that one night … you will have that moment.
Congratulations to Director Dan Hile for getting the group this far, to a great band, NEO, a great stage crew and a choir who still doesn’t realize its potential.
Churubusco's New Era Show Choir performs Guitar Hero. (file photo)
You’ve primed the pump New Era, you have the confidence … now, let’s go show ‘em what we can do! Cause we’re going to Disney World!
(Editor’s note: The New Era Show Choir is performing at the Epcot Center in Disney World in Orlando, Florida this Friday. Watch this site for exciting coverage.)