Robert Waller, Cane Middle School:
“My students loved performing for NCMEA. They felt a great deal of pride. I felt honored to be selected to perform and represent the middle school section. There is a lot of pressure going into this, but the rewards are well worth it. My students felt like they accomplished a great deal. There are many great teachers in our section who should consider performing at conference. Everyone has different teaching situations, but with hard work everyone can do this.”
Dave Dobbins, Southeast Guilford Middle School:
“I have had the distinct pleasure and thrill of performing at the NCMEA In-Service Conference twice with choirs from different schools. Nervous, of course I was; worried, sure; insecure, oh, yeah! No matter how hard I tried to hide these feelings, my students could sense them and I believe it made them work harder to ‘get it right.’ Having worked so hard to get a quality product ready so early in the year made them all the more prepared for the rest of the year, too! Both times, my choirs ended up having the most productive winter and spring I could remember.”
Dena Adams, Northwest Guilford Middle School:
“Performing at conference is the single best performance opportunity for both the singers and their director if they are seasoned performers. The singers know they are performing for a knowledgeable audience and prepare like never before. Focus and concentration is highlighted and their ability to deliver musical applications skyrockets because they become highly motivated. There is no slow start as you begin the year with a clearly defined goal and dive in from day one. This experience, coming early in the year, sets a high standard for the remainder of the year. My group who performed at conference has continued to soar in their understanding of choral performance.”
Leigh Walters, Thomas Jefferson Middle School:
“In November 2007, my students had the distinct pleasure of performing at the NCMEA In-Service Convention. It was the performance that surpassed all other performances. To be auditioned and selected in itself was an honor. In my district, Chorus meets every other day for 45 minutes; therefore, my chorus had five weeks to prepare the music for this performance. My singers came to class eager to sing, motivated and focused. After the performance, I thought my students might relax their classroom performance expectations, but clearly I was wrong. They continued to sing more demanding music and became leaders in the classroom. Simply stated, ‘children will rise to meet your expectations.’ Performing for NCMEA was exhilarating, exciting and exhausting, but I would definitely perform again.”