Buffalo High School’s juniors and seniors in Concert Choir and Concert Band are preparing for the Minnesota Music Educators Association (MMEA). Last year’s Concert Choir made this possible by recording a CD and submitting it to the organization. Only the top schools who made CDs were invited to perform. They will be singing six songs, and on Thursday February 17th they will be performing at the Mid Winter Clinic down in Minneapolis.
At 11:03 A.M. each day in room D110, right by the lunch room, Concert Choir takes their seats, takes attendance and begins rehearsal. They are rehearsing six songs for the MMEA; “Drait-on”, “Fan Fave For a Festival”, “All my Heart”, “Barber of Seville”, “Battle Hymn”, and “Mama Africa”. Each day in Choir Rehearsal, they tweak any mistakes they may have in the music to make it as close to perfect as they can.
Buffalo High School is the only school in Minnesota to have both a band and choir performing.
“We are the only school in the State to be taking our Concert Band and Choir, it’s really an honor and we are working very hard towards it,” said Choir Director Michael Walsh.
As every rehearsal goes by, Walsch is also directing five or more choirs. His main focus is on the Concert Choir right now, knowing they have an extreme honor coming towards them, one that you don’t always get again, but he still focuses on his other Choirs and prepares them for their next concert coming up in March.
This is not the first time Concert Choir or Concert Band have been to the MMEA, but their first time together. Concert Band has done clinics for the association, but it’s the first time they have ever been invited to the same convention.
“It’s an honor to be doing this and to know we’re the only school in the state to bring a Choir and Band,” said Junior Cyrina Fehn. “Mr. Walsh has been really pushing us towards doing our best, and motivating us to keep going further with the music we are singing. It’s just sad that the Senior’s that were here last year, that made this all happen, can’t do it or be in it. So now it’s like the junior’s and Senior’s this year are like stealing the prize that the last year’s class really deserved.”
