Super disappointed Petal girls didn't get a shout out on the podcast for their finals placement. They beat JA and that is a HUGE accomplishment for any girls group.
I couldve sworn I congratulated them for a dominant season so far hmmmm // and I agree it’s a huge accomplishment but it’s also something that petal ladies have done several times before so props to them
Context for those who don’t know: tyler and I jokingly suggested on the podcast that we could say that we’re sponsored by the show choir website. We’re clearly stand up comedians. If there are any updates, we will mention it on the following episodes
Madison Central “Reveille”
Loved the integration of the onstage piano throughout. Great a cappella ballad. Definitely the first time I’ve heard “Polly Willy Doodle” in a show choir show. I appreciate the whole medley of folk songs SO much. Also, nice banjo.
Jackson Academy “Encore”
Excellent job connecting with the audience—particularly in the ballad. Sound is very heavy at moments, so be careful there. Closer was SO clean. That last dance break was FIRE!
Auburn “Varsity Singers”
BEAUTIFULLY designed show. Excellent male sound in particular. Great vitality in the group sound. Band was awesome. Incredible touching and super personal.
Petal “Soundsations”
SO much fun, with choreography that is SO clean. Lots of nostalgia from the games. Excellent main character soloist. And very BIG sound overall.
Enterprise “Encores”
SO classy. The female sound was particularly excellent. Small group after the ballad was great. You all have so much energy, and your stage presence is so good!
My personal placements (top two are sure to be very close):
1st: Auburn (vocals, show design, band)
2nd: Petal (choreography)
3rd: Madison Central
4th: Enterprise
5th: Jackson Academy
I thought that was you with the clipboard taking notes lol. I agree with mostly all of this. My bone to pick is with Auburn. Let me start by saying their show was incredible. Auburn has amazing vocals and a killer band, but there was one thing I noticed that made me feel a bit funny. I’m not sure if many in the audience caught it when they were announced, but all of the music in their show was composed just for them. Don’t get me wrong this is incredible and it really allowed them to portray the story well, but I feel like it really takes away some of that show choir magic for me. I love hearing the creative selections groups use of already existing songs to portray their theme. I think it allows the audience to connect with the group more. Another thing which made doing this hard on auburn was the fact that nobody knew the songs so their diction and pronunciation had to be perfect. Sometimes I found myself wondering what the last few lyrics were because they were muffled by the band which is a common intonation issue all groups face, but with Auburn writing their own music we don’t know what lyrics are coming up next. Their music is what tied the whole story line together and I found the intonation issues giving me a bit of a harder time to follow along. With all this being said, Auburn really has a great show. As they progress throughout the season and fix minor things I thing they could really be an unstoppable show choir.
I, and other memebers of JA's Encore, were just wondering what about our sound you thought was heavy. When you say that do you mean it's a blend/balance issue or something else? I noticed you said petal had a "big" sound, so in your mind what's the difference? Thank you for your comments though, we all appreciate the encouragement!
South Jones “Company”
Great soloists throughout. The balance between the band and choir was off, so it was sometimes hard to hear the words. There was a very powerful moment in the ballad when the band drops out—this was effective. Good job with the voicing (mostly SAB) because of your outnumbered guys.
Pearl River “Central Attraction”
The Alexa playlist theme. Be careful when changing dynamics that you do not also change the vowel shapes. The closer was excellent, and the final costumes were awesome.
West Jones “Imagination”
Very well-developed set. Your loud parts are sometimes shouted, which I don’t love. But there were a number of “wow” moments in your show. Kinda cool to see church hats and tambourines in a show.
Oak Grove “Centerstage”
This was the group I was MOST impressed with. Definitely one of the best male numbers in this division. The male sound was excellent—and the boys were a crowd favorite. Be careful of shouting at the loud parts. Great ballad arrangement. And nice quartet after.
Sumrall “Legacy”
Really nice a cappella moment at the end of the ballad. It was hard to balance the smaller number of boys. But noticeably nice band!
Biloxi “Sound Surge”
Such a Fehr arrangement to start out with. Great ballad soloist. Great quintet after the ballad. Awesome boys number, with great balance of male voices. What was the purpose of the black backdrop behind the choir?
So my placements after watching were:
1st: Oak Grove
2nd: West Jones
3rd: Biloxi
But obviously the judges thought differently. All of the groups should be commended—it’s amazing that we have this depth of talent/execution amongst smaller choirs in the south.
Auburn Men Excellent rating
Petal Women Superior rating
Pearl River Women Excellent rating
Auburn Women Excellent rating
Enterprise Women Excellent rating
Madison Central Superior rating
Jackson Academy Superior rating
Auburn Mixed Superior rating
Petal Mixed Outstanding rating
Enterprise Mixed Superior rating
Single Gender:
1st: Petal
2nd: Enterprise
3rd: Auburn
Best Costumes: Petal
RiverRoad Award: Auburn Mixed
