From March 24 to 27, the Meridian choir embarked on a trip to New York City. Throughout their four day visit, the group was able to engage in many choir and theater-related activities.

“We chose New York because we wanted an opportunity to both perform and experience specific things for choir,” choir teacher Jamie Sample said. 

On the first day of their trip, the choir was able to attend a clinic with Paul Rardin, the Chair of Choral Music and the Vocal Arts Department at Temple University. Sample thought that the clinic provided a great educational opportunity for her students, and was pleased with the results of their work. 

“The changes that the students made in their performances, just in the short time they worked with their clinician on Thursday, were incredibly noticeable,” Sample said. 

In addition, the group was able to go see two Broadway shows: “Paradise Square” and “Come From Away.” They also had the opportunity to attend a Broadway workshop run by a swing member from the cast of “Come From Away.” They learned music and choreography from the musical’s opening number, “Welcome to the Rock.”

“It was so fun and so educational, and it was not too hard, which is nice because some of us are not good dancers,” junior Matthew Bloss-Baum said. 

Some other major events included a performance at the Empire State Building and a tour of Radio City Music Hall. Students also had the freedom to engage in the typical New York City tourist activities, like visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, taking a ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and spending time in Times Square. 

While the trip was focused on choral development, Sample emphasized that the group grew educationally and emotionally as well. 

“While our students here have a really strong educational basis, they got to expand that and also connect to personal stories that were shared in a lot of places,” Sample said.

Sample plans on turning to her rising seniors for guidance on future trips. 

“We’ve discussed building on our experiences in New York. We’ve also discussed choosing other locations as well, so we’ll see what other students want to do.”