From March 9-12, the groups were able to do just that but further than just our community – they reached as far as the “Windy City” Chicago.
German Aguilar, head of the choral department, and six choir students were invited to go to the American Choral Directors Association’s (ACDA) National Conference.
This conference is known as one of the best events for choral directors and musicians to learn more about their craft.
“Membership in the ACDA National Honor Choirs is highly prestigious, and it pairs singers of the chorus with some of the most renowned choral conductors in the country,” said Aguilar. “When the opportunity arose, it was too good to pass up!”
The conference had the students participate in intense music rehearsals from Wednesday through Saturday for about ten hours.
Students also attended the International Concert where they got to hear choirs from Taiwan, Korea, Canada and the U.S.
It also gave the students an opportunity to network with singers from all over the U.S.
The Delta choir students that attended were Zackery Alcover, Heather Anderson, Miguel Chicas, Jr., Arnold Cruz, Danica Ran and Jennifer Young.
Young, sophomore, went there with great expectations. “I heard it was going to be a life changing experience and for me it was once in a lifetime,” she said.
Although the rehearsals were strenuous, the students were able to enjoy themselves at the same time.
Being in a big city was also not too bad of an incentive.
“The last day of rehearsals were so stressful,” said Anderson, a sophomore. “But fun at the same time because our director believed in us and made it exciting. But I definitely enjoyed being able to have extra time to check out the city.”
Having the conference in an exciting city made the experience that much more enjoyable for the students.
However, they didn’t forget that they were there to learn above all.
“I learned a lot from those five days,” said Cruz, a freshman. “The main thing that I brought back was that I should actually listen to the choir as a whole more than sing.”
As for the trip as a whole, Aguilar saw it as a successful experience for the students.
“It was evident that the students learned a lot about singing and themselves,” he stated. “Would I do it again? Absolutely!
