Utah State Jr High School Honor Choir

 McKenna had an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity today to participate in the Utah State Jr. High School Honor Choir.  This event was held at the historical SLC Mormon Tabernacle in downtown Salt Lake City.  This opportunity for this group of kids to sing in the Tabernacle is one that was said was quite historical event because no other honor choir has ever had this opportunity to sing here in the past, this year was a first.

 

The Jr. High Honor Choir consisted of close to three hundred middle school singers from fifty schools from around the state.  They were directed by Justin Miller from Santa Ana, California.  This guy was amazing, his talents and love for music just beamed off him.  McKenna was so impressed by Justin and what he did for this group of kids.  He took this large group of students from knowing only parts and sections of five songs to the performing them like they did was truly amazing.  He was so positive, uplifting, and funny that the kids were all impressed with him.

 

The students began rehearsing their music independently before Christmas and then with their own teacher at the start of the year to memorize the music.  All of the students gathered on Friday at Orem High School to prepare for their first rehearsal.  Saturday morning the kids rehearsed again at the Tabernacle for several hours before they performed the real deal.  The concert only lasted an hour and it could have kept going, it was that good.

 

Alex Herrera and McKenna

 

 

 

These are the students from Gunnison Valley Middle School that participated in Jr. Honor Choir: Taylor Anderson, Larissa Martinez, Jayden Jensen, Alex Herrera, and McKenna.  Paydenne Mortensen also participated but not pictured.

 



 

 

Taylor and McKenna with John Sargeant, the accompanist for today's performance.  This guy was an amazing piano player, he was just as entertaining to watch him as it was to listen to the songs.

McKenna and I had such a fun day together.  We were up and out of the house at about 6:15am.  We made it to downtown Salt Lake in good time, where we parked, wandered around City Creek, and walked to the tabernacle where she had to be for an early morning rehearsal.   She stayed for rehearsal and I had several hours to myself.  Later I met up with her and her friends for lunch and afterwards we headed back to the tabernacle.  McKenna was so grateful for this opportunity, for it has changed her thinking and love for music.  She mentioned that this experience makes her want to pursue music at a higher level, like pursue a college degree in music.   This was definitely an opportunity I was so glad that McKenna was able to participate in.  There were a lot of kids that tried out in the school auditions, so for McKenna to be chosen as one of the top six kids to participate in this experience is quite an honor. 

 

 

These are the five songs that McKenna had to memorize.  They were songs from all genres of music.  I have listened to these songs numerous of times as I have listened to McKenna memorize them, and it is amazing how beautiful these songs turned out when sang as a group.

 

The program and ribbon as memorabilia from this experience. 

Way to go McKenna, I am so proud of you and your talents!