As I marched on the hard concrete floor for over an hour, my legs began to ache and lock in. I considered sneaking my phone out as a much needed getaway from endless rehearsals, but my director refused to tear his hawk-like eyes away from the Altos. I was starting to feel that sitting was a privilege.
 
The 2019 Korean International Music Educators Association National Honor Festival was held on February 22nd and 23rd at Chadwick International. Featuring the most talented musicians in choir, band, and strings from 14 different international schools, students engaged in two intense, full days of rehearsal with prominent guest conductors. The festival culminated in a two-hour program on the 23rd that showcased the effort and dedication that students put into their craft. Although I have attended other KIMEA festivals and events, it was my first time auditioning for NHF, and my experience this year was eye-opening as to what it takes to reach my full potential as a singer.
 
Because there were by far the most people attending NHF from my school (SIS) out of all fourteen international schools, our choir director made sure that all of us were prepared and knew the music well before we departed for Chadwick International on the 22nd. To be honest, because I was so swamped with schoolwork, I was not able to attend practice sessions held during office hours at school before the festival itself. However, I made sure to make good use of the weekend before the festival to fully learn the music and catch up to my peers.
 
[The NHF 2019 choir performs on February 23rd at Chadwick International. Photo Courtesy of the CISPN YouTube page]
However, rehearsing and performing with a hundred other singers and a recognized conductor was different from singing along to practice tracks in my room. Conductor Daniel Perkins, who is an accomplished choral director from New Hampshire, helped me revisualize how to interpret music. His unorthodox methods to get us to pay attention, such as cartwheeling off the stage, were shocking and flustering at first. However, throughout the day, I realized that his ways were effective in helping the choir as a whole improve musically.
 
On the day of the actual performance, I felt that the performance put on by the NHF choir clearly had a distinction from the work that my school choir produced. Although I always felt extremely proud of the camaraderie and quality of work between our SIS choir members, I felt that the sheer amount of additional effort NHF musicians had to put in to learn difficult music outside of school in only a month deserved to be lauded. In addition, typically during our school concerts, I pass out during the orchestra and band performances because of how incredibly tiring it is after performing several tracks onstage. However, at NHF, the original music by the guest conductors and the quasi-professional quality of the orchestra/band kept me awake and engaged throughout the entirety of the concert.
 
[Members of the SIS choir pose after performing at the National Honor Festival at Chadwick International. Photo Courtesy of Rachel Lee]
With a total of over seventy students in all music departments from SIS coming to NHF, there was no doubt that the event was an opportunity to grow as students and as musicians for myriad students at my school. Through NHF, I was able to meet new mentors and peers in the choir community and stimulate my vocal growth, and I left Chadwick with a desire to come back as a better singer and student in 2020.

 
 
 








Rachel Lee
Grade 10
Seoul International School
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