With the Music In Motion season beginning, there is a lot to be done in order to prepare for competitions and performances. The Show Choir’s season officially starts this weekend, with their theme of weather. They will attend their first competition in Findlay, Ohio. The choir is run by Mr. Lewis, Solon High School’s Music teacher.
I interviewed one of the singer-dancers, Kamron Pratt, on what it’s like to be a member of show choir.
Q: What made you decide to join MIM?
A : One of my close friends asked me to join MIM because they were seeking more guys [dancers], and they didn’t really have that many coming into my sophomore year. So I tried it out. I didn’t know if I was going to make it or not because at that time, I didn’t really know how to dance, and I never had a vocal coach, so I didn’t know if I sang well or anything like that. So once I got there, Mr. Lewis, he was really nice, generous, and he gave me a chance, and I’ve been loving it ever since I got in.
Q: What are you most excited for in this upcoming season?
A: I’m most excited for the competitions and mostly excited for all the new members to experience what a competition feels like so they can get even more amped up within their work ethic and their inspiration and stuff like that.
Q: How do you balance practice and remain caught up in school and other extracurricular activities?
A: For me, usually I practice at night, so in the daytime I have a study hall, so that’s very helpful. And when I get home, which is usually around like 9:00 to 10:00 after I take a shower and everything, I straight study right then and there. I study and I get my homework done, and if not, I just do it the next day. But my grades have been kept the same, like, mostly all A’s. So all A’s and just one B.
Q: Do you feel like MIM is a big commitment?
A: Yes. It’s very time consuming, especially if you have more than MIM on your plate, especially if you have, like, let’s say, if you have Speech and Debate and Science Olympiad. With MIM also in that, that’s really time consuming. Like, for me, I do dance…I’m co-captain for the dance team. I’m in a dance ensemble for MIM. So it’s very time consuming since I’m a leader now this year. So I have to find extra time to help people that need help with the choreography. So I would have to give away my own time and my free time to help other people and give them extra help or individual sessions that I provide.
Q: How do you find ways to bond with your fellow dancers outside of practice?
A : Some of them I have classes with. We relate to things like songs or dance moves or just life in general, but mostly it’s about how we communicate together and how everyone’s just so in common and how there’s just such a positive environment in MIM. This is one of the first groups that I’ve been in that’s very positive and has limited drama, and everyone in there is just open to new ideas, and it’s just really, basically all the nice people are in there.
Q: How much time would you say you put into MIM?
A: I would say normally 30 minutes in a day if I really don’t know [the routine]. If I do, I do, like, at least ten minutes every day just so I can drill it and make sure that I know every move, I know how to hit it…I also look at previous full runs whenever we do a full show and during rehearsal, and I look at what I’m doing, and I check to see if what mistakes I’ve done, how can I improve, and how can the group in general become better so I can help other people become better and reach out to them individually.
Q: In what ways do you keep yourself motivated to practice and improve your performance?
A: My honest opinion is winning champions, winning, being first place, being outstanding performer, like awards, that’s basically my motivation and scholarships because I want to minor in dance. And in order to do that, I have to motivate myself to push myself, to push myself to dance and to remember the choreography, to practice and to drill it. And also, I also want awards for other people also. And I want everyone else to be successful, and especially the group together to be successful. So that’s why I motivate myself and for the group.
I also interviewed one of the show choir’s guitarists Nate Waligora. You can check it out below.
