More than 200 high school students from across the country have gathered at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln to build harmonies and their vocal performance skills.
The seven-day intensive National Show Choir Camp, held June 14-20, offers students the opportunity to work with high level vocal clinicians and choreographers, culminating in a performance at the end of the experience. Peter Eklund, professor of music and director of the camp, said participants “get about a year’s worth of experience in a week.”
Eklund hopes the students can return to their schools and share their new skills with classmates.
“We want them to learn how to be a leader, so they can go home and be leaders when they get in front of their co-students back at home, and just be more advanced than they were before,” Eklund said.
Students are divided into four ensembles of about 50 to 60 members. Over the course of the week, each ensemble rehearses four songs to prepare for a concert at 3 p.m. June 20 at Kimball Recital Hall.
Most of the vocal clinicians and choreographers are alumni of university music programs, and the counselors are undergraduate students. Eklund said he likes to invite alumni to serve as clinicians, and sometimes they are even former campers.
“We have been sending the best young teachers and choreographers out of our program,” Eklund said. “Part of it is attracting kids that are interested in a comprehensive program. We’re not a one-trick pony. I want students to leave here with a lot of experiences in a lot of different ways, so I think that has helped us attract the brightest and the best.”
Clinicians select the music for the ensembles, constructing a set with a range of styles and genres. Eklund said choirs are increasingly emphasizing including a range of genres in their repertoires — not only traditional choral pieces, but jazz, world music and more contemporary songs.
“Those huge walls that used to separate classical from jazz, from pop, from Broadway, are crumbling down,” he said. “Much music is a synthesis of a variety of styles, which I think is exciting.”
Eklund said students jump into the deep end, learning the most difficult pieces first so they can have more time to work on them. That can be intimidating, but the camp gives students the opportunity to collaborate with older students and ask the clinicians and counselors when they feel like they need help. He encourages students to check in with and lean on others if they start to fall behind.
“Nobody has to go it alone,” Eklund said. “All of your counselors are here because they want to see you succeed.”
The camp gives students training in a skill and an idea of what the next chapter could look like.
“It’s a great experience for kids to try a college campus,” Eklund said. “It’s not surprising a lot of these kids end up on our campus, regardless of what their major is. Keep singing. Even if you’re pre-med or a psychology major or an elementary ed major.”
