Onalaska Hilltopper Rehearsal Oct. 25
Onalaska High School consists of two different show choirs, Onalaska Express and Onalaska Hilltoppers. Express is mostly known as the high schools JV (Junior Varsity) show choir and Hilltopper is know as the V (Varsity) show choir. They both rehearse at different times one after the other on Mondays and Thursdays Express rehearses from 5pm to 7pm and Hilltopper, 7pm to anytime between 9pm and 10pm. The director, Richard Moses, stays for both of the sets of rehearsals, sometimes with the company of the high school woman's choir director Jennifer Saner and, of course, the band comes in almost every rehearsal and they are directed by Christopher Meunier who teaches the Concert band in the high school.
Jennifer and Richard are both wonderful teachers who I am pleased to have been taught by both of them, but, you're reading this to hear about am Onalaska Hilltopper show choir rehearsal, and a rehearsal you shall get.
Because of Mr. Moses's absence of this rehearsal, Mrs. Saner took over for Express and the band director, Mr. Meuiner, took over Hilltopper. Hilltopper has 65 students all together, four dance captains (two girls and two boys), their songs are, in order of the show, 'Centuries' by Fall Out Boy, 'I'm alive' from 'Next to Normal', 'Morning glow' from the musical 'Pippin', 'Good to be alive' by Andy Grammer mixed with 'What you're worth' by Mandisa featuring Britt Nicole, and 'Get on your feet' by Gloria Estefan mixed with 'Come alive' from the musical 'The Greatest Showman'.
Hilltopper started at 7:05 with the girls going to get their shoes to rehearse in and then the guys stayed in the PAC and went over their guys number, Good to be alive by Andy Grammer. This is the first time that I have ever seen their show so seeing them rehearse was all brand new for me, seeing it, it's very good for Hilltopper guys in October. When it comes to detail in the choreography, Hilltopper is a lot more picky than Express because they are varsity, so rehearsals are a lot more stationary with going part by part of just one song for as long as they can until it's right in every small detail down to where your fingers and toes go.
After the guys went over their number while the girls got their shoes, they all got together and went over their closer which is 'Come Alive' from 'The Greatest Showman' mixed w
ith 'Get On Your Feet' by Gloria Estefan. This song, I have noticed has a lot of dissonance in the song, which mean clashing of notes, but it sounds good in this case because then they resolve it by adding a sharp or a flat in. While going through this song, three of the four dance captains stayed out and watched how they were doing and then after they ran through it they would say their comments and then run through it one more time with the dance captains comments in the minds.
After they worked on their closer without and then with their dance captains they moved onto their girl/guy number which is 'Good to be Alive' by Andy Grammer as the guys number mixed with the girls number which is 'What You're Worth' by Mandisa featuring Britt Nicole. Starting with the guys going over their part of the song with features a select number of guys doing some personalized 'moves' such as a back flip, booty shakes, and more. Then moving onto the girls part with the girls walking onto the back and 'shooing' the guys off stage, then taking over with their number. The guys then come onto the stage, dancing and singing with them all as one.
Moving on from their guy girl number they all went to the back of the stage and go into a small clump around the band and go over their ballad, which is 'Morning Glow' from the musical 'Pippin'. The soloist that sings this song was gone for another event so we didn't get that full effect, but even without it, they sounded amazing with all the different sharps and flats in the different sections. There was also a lot of amazing crescendos and decrescendos through out and it was breath taking. Than ran through this song while standing in sections and then a couple times all mixed up so that everyone was standing next to a different section than their own.
Going through the small details in some songs that they needed too, they decided to go through the entire show a couple times before rehearsal is over. Again, their show starts with 'Centuries' by Fall Out Boy. They have a soloist in that song and they acted the role that they had to play incredibly well. The volume that they have in their voices are so good that you can hear each part being sung different from the next. The pose was struck for that number, causing the band to start the next song, 'I'm Alive' by 'Next To Normal'. The guys start it off with their own section of singing, then the girls get their own section as well. They come together with amazing harmonization involved. During the solo of this song the rest of the group goes into a clump in the back and sing background music to go along with the soloist. Another ending pose then moving onto the ballad that they had previously rehearsed, but this time in their spots that they had been given, making the sound that they give out even more powerful and blended together. Before they move onto their closer that they rehearsed, they go into their guy/girl number which they also rehearsed. They didn't have a soloist show to the rehearsal but they all sang together for the soloist so they knew where they were. As usual the girls come on, shooing the guys away and start their dance with all the sass that they can exert and it's so powerful and strong. Finally, they end with their closer and base on the practice that they had with it today it already looks so much better.
Richard Moses is a teacher at Onalaska High school, the classes that he teaches are all of the choral classes: Men's Chorus, Select Women's Choir, Concert Choir, and Chamber Choir. Because he teaches all of those choirs he needs to have choir lessons as well for all of the students, which he does all day during any of his free periods. Along with being a choir teacher he is the choir director of both Express and Hilltopper show choirs. He stays extra hours after school on Mondays and Thursdays with the student and rehearses the music that they need to know for the competition season.
Jennifer Saner is also a teacher at Onalaska High school, while also working at the Onalaska Middle school as well. At the high school she teaches the Women's Chorus class and helps Richard Moses with both Express and Hilltopper rehearsals when she can. She may only teach one choir class but she does her classes choir lessons and she will step in and help some on Richard's students as well if the student schedule fits more with her free periods than they do Richard's.
Jennifer and Richard are both wonderful teachers who I am pleased to have been taught by both of them, but, you're reading this to hear about am Onalaska Hilltopper show choir rehearsal, and a rehearsal you shall get.
Because of Mr. Moses's absence of this rehearsal, Mrs. Saner took over for Express and the band director, Mr. Meuiner, took over Hilltopper. Hilltopper has 65 students all together, four dance captains (two girls and two boys), their songs are, in order of the show, 'Centuries' by Fall Out Boy, 'I'm alive' from 'Next to Normal', 'Morning glow' from the musical 'Pippin', 'Good to be alive' by Andy Grammer mixed with 'What you're worth' by Mandisa featuring Britt Nicole, and 'Get on your feet' by Gloria Estefan mixed with 'Come alive' from the musical 'The Greatest Showman'.
Hilltopper started at 7:05 with the girls going to get their shoes to rehearse in and then the guys stayed in the PAC and went over their guys number, Good to be alive by Andy Grammer. This is the first time that I have ever seen their show so seeing them rehearse was all brand new for me, seeing it, it's very good for Hilltopper guys in October. When it comes to detail in the choreography, Hilltopper is a lot more picky than Express because they are varsity, so rehearsals are a lot more stationary with going part by part of just one song for as long as they can until it's right in every small detail down to where your fingers and toes go.After the guys went over their number while the girls got their shoes, they all got together and went over their closer which is 'Come Alive' from 'The Greatest Showman' mixed w
After they worked on their closer without and then with their dance captains they moved onto their girl/guy number which is 'Good to be Alive' by Andy Grammer as the guys number mixed with the girls number which is 'What You're Worth' by Mandisa featuring Britt Nicole. Starting with the guys going over their part of the song with features a select number of guys doing some personalized 'moves' such as a back flip, booty shakes, and more. Then moving onto the girls part with the girls walking onto the back and 'shooing' the guys off stage, then taking over with their number. The guys then come onto the stage, dancing and singing with them all as one.
Moving on from their guy girl number they all went to the back of the stage and go into a small clump around the band and go over their ballad, which is 'Morning Glow' from the musical 'Pippin'. The soloist that sings this song was gone for another event so we didn't get that full effect, but even without it, they sounded amazing with all the different sharps and flats in the different sections. There was also a lot of amazing crescendos and decrescendos through out and it was breath taking. Than ran through this song while standing in sections and then a couple times all mixed up so that everyone was standing next to a different section than their own.
Going through the small details in some songs that they needed too, they decided to go through the entire show a couple times before rehearsal is over. Again, their show starts with 'Centuries' by Fall Out Boy. They have a soloist in that song and they acted the role that they had to play incredibly well. The volume that they have in their voices are so good that you can hear each part being sung different from the next. The pose was struck for that number, causing the band to start the next song, 'I'm Alive' by 'Next To Normal'. The guys start it off with their own section of singing, then the girls get their own section as well. They come together with amazing harmonization involved. During the solo of this song the rest of the group goes into a clump in the back and sing background music to go along with the soloist. Another ending pose then moving onto the ballad that they had previously rehearsed, but this time in their spots that they had been given, making the sound that they give out even more powerful and blended together. Before they move onto their closer that they rehearsed, they go into their guy/girl number which they also rehearsed. They didn't have a soloist show to the rehearsal but they all sang together for the soloist so they knew where they were. As usual the girls come on, shooing the guys away and start their dance with all the sass that they can exert and it's so powerful and strong. Finally, they end with their closer and base on the practice that they had with it today it already looks so much better.
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