Cardinal CSD Jazz Choir Makes Some Noise

posted February 16, 2023

Cardinal CSD’s jazz choir is only in its first year, but that hasn’t stopped it from making some noise. They recently attended an invitational where they performed with choirs in higher divisions. They were the only choir in attendance from a 2A school (smaller student populations than schools in 3A and 4A, the divisions they competed with).

At the invitational, they not only held their own performing amongst the 3A and 4A choirs but were also encouraged to submit a video of their performance to be considered for the Iowa Vocal Jazz Championships— only the top eight jazz choirs can make it. 

“Our first year out, good enough to be in the top eight, or to have a good enough chance to be in the top eight, that's a big deal to me,” says Megan Guest, Cardinal Middle School and High School vocal music teacher.

Guest started the choir this year, beginning with nine students and recently expanding to ten after adding a bass player. The bass addition came after receiving feedback at the invitational on possible improvements.

“The clinicians actually work with the kids after they perform,” Guest explains. “They had some pretty specific feedback. They want us to look at getting matching outfits on everybody, adding a bass player, and then there are a few technical things that they want us to look at.”

One of those improvements is getting the right sound system for practices, which is already in the works after the administration saw the students’ dedication and how far their talent has taken them. In fact, to practice for the invitational without the proper equipment, Guest had to get creative. 

“Well, we did invent a sound system kind of like what was needed for the requirements,” Guest says.

They used the mics they had from other school activities and clever student placement to simulate the same sound as the equipment they would use at the invitational so the students could get used to it. 

Guests’ creativity paid off as the students performed well on the invitational day. In fact, during warm-ups, right before their performance, a complicated passage of their song finally clicked, and they successfully delivered it for the first time.

“It helps that they can hear themselves so much better with the monitors and everything and they really adjusted to using the system,” Guest says. 

The new system will make a huge difference as they prepare for future performances and possibly the championships. As Guest puts it, their achievements have already made a difference for the students, especially experiencing how other jazz choirs perform.

“It was really cool for the kids to get to see established jazz choirs at these bigger schools,” Guest says. “One of my kids, when the first group started singing, his mouth got bigger than his face.”

With their new equipment and a burst of newfound confidence, the choir has a good chance of their own performances wowing students from other schools.

Guests’ goals with the group are to give them as many of these opportunities as she can and to help them grow in their love for music as well as their skills. 

“I’m very fresh out of college — even high school is not too distant of a memory for me,” Guest says. “Seeing them repeat the experiences that I was given in high school is just so awesome.” 

She explains that it can also be nerve-wracking to ensure she can give them the same opportunities.

“It's kind of like in that new Christmas movie when they started talking about pulling off Christmas for the kids,” she says. “We’re [MS/HS Band Director, Luke Miller"> asking ourselves, can we pull this off between us?”

Guest and Mr. Miller have thankfully proven time and time again that they absolutely can. Thank you notes submitted by the Cardinal community show that other staff members and parents see their dedication and are grateful. 

We look forward to seeing Jazz Choir’s accomplishments the rest of this year and beyond! Next up for the choir is a home performance on February 21 for Cafe Musicale. Then on March 3, they are taking a field trip for a special lesson from Robert Williams, a vocal teacher for an experienced jazz choir at Liberty High School. We are thankful to Mr. William for his generosity! Guest will then also submit the choir’s video for the championships. We wish them the best of luck!