Jan. 8, California High School hosted Tri-County Conference Choir for the first time in many years.
Bailey Glenn, junior, was excited about hosting the conference. "It's fun to show off our new auditorium," she said.
About 140 students from Blair Oaks, California, Eldon, Osage, Versailles and Warsaw were in attendance. This experience is a great change from the average choir practice. Many schools come together under a director they do not know and work together to create a beautiful sound
Jeremy Jungmeyer, a sophomore choir member, said, "It's great to see so many people who enjoy choir and music."
A major part of hosting Tri-County Conference Choir is choosing a clinician. Raynard Brown, choral director at Parkway Northeast Middle School and Adjunct Professor of Choral Music at Maryville University in St. Louis, served as this year's clinician.
"Even though all of us, including the director, are from different parts of Missouri, he makes sure every individual feels and understands the same things for every song he directs," said junior Kassi Meisenheimer of this year's clinician.
Brown has served as clinician for numerous festival choruses in the mid-west. He taught at Lebanon Middle School for 15 years before moving to Parkway Northeast.
"What's exciting is you get to work with kids who have worked with other teachers, and it's a learning experience for everyone. It is cool to be around other musicians who enjoy music as much as I do. I specifically enjoy this conference because the California kids were well prepared and the facility is a great place to work in," said Brown.