EhEh Poe, a senior in Chamber Choir and Ja’Liyah Rainer, a Junior in Symphonic Choir both share their thoughts and feelings regarding this being the last ever high school pops concert for all of the seniors in choir.
Eh Eh Poe has been in Choir for all years at Rocky- 7 years, counting elementary and middle school, as well. She joined the Chamber Choir in her Junior year, and is still currently in it. Ja’Liyah Rainer has been in the high school choir for 3 years. The students at Rock Island High School do not know the theme for this year’s pops concert at the moment, but they have some ideas of what they hope it will be. Ms. Poe says she doesn’t know what to hope for the theme this year. She just hopes it is a good one, since it is her senior year. She’s holding out some extra hope for a Disney Pt. 2 of her freshman years pops concert. Ms. Rainer hopes it will be 2000’s hip hop.
Some people either like the preparations before the concert or they hate it. Ms. Poe states, “I love learning the songs beforehand. It’s always fun learning the songs, especially if it’s a song in a genre that I wouldn’t normally sing. I’d start off not being on board with the song, but end with absolutely loving it. The choreography is a challenge, as well, but in the end, I always end up loving it, too. Although I am not the best dancer, it’s always fun learning the dances, and there are always happy smiles and laughs in class when we do.” Ja’liyah states, “I feel like the preparations help us feel more confident on stage and practice singing and dancing.”
Some students have specific traditions for post-concerts and some do not. Ms. Poe states, “I actually don’t have any traditions, but I do hope to go out to eat with my members after our last pops concert.”
“Sometimes I go out to eat after the concerts,” says Ms. Rainer.
Many people have different parts about the pops concert that they consider their favorite, whether it’s before, during or after the concert. Ms. Poe states, “My favorite part is seeing everything come together. Me and my classmates work very hard, so when we see the success through our performances, the feeling is absolutely amazing.” Ms. Rainer has similar thoughts, stating, “Watching others perform what they have been practicing for so long is my favorite part.”
Many of the students feel pretty accomplished after the pops concert, with putting so much time and effort into learning and performing. The students feel very rewarded, “Knowing that we tried our best in the preparation stage and doing well in the concert is the most rewarding part for me,” Ms. Rainer explains. “The most rewarding part would be performing with all the choirs. Pops is really that one concert when we can all come together as one, so I always enjoy that. I have 2 cousins, one in the same Concert and one in a different choir than me, so I am going to love being able to sing and dance on stage with them. The other rewarding part is the Senior slideshow,” says Ms. Poe.
The pops concert is the very last concert of the school year, with Seniors’ very last day being in two days afterwards. As a senior, Ms. Poe expresses her feelings stating, “I don’t know exactly how to feel yet since it’s not here yet, but thinking about it does get me a bit emotional because it will be my last performance with all the choirs and my last pops concert. The pops concerts have always been my favorite concerts throughout the years, so I just hope that everything goes well and I can enjoy it.” As a sophomore, Ja’liyah will be witnessing her senior friends’ last ever high school concert. She says, “I am sad because I am used to seeing certain people everyday, so knowing that I won’t see them again when school starts back is difficult.”
During the pops concerts, the seniors have their own little section. Eh Eh states, “I’ve always gotten emotional watching the senior slideshow and singing during it throughout the years. So now, as a senior myself, I know, without a doubt, I will cry. I also feel like it’s a reward for how far I have come as a singer, so it’s really going to be a bittersweet memory for me, and I know it will be too for my other fellow seniors, as well.”
