h or choir
By Shelby Graham
Each year, only a few choirs
across the state receive the
prestigious honor of performing
at the Missouri Music Educators
Association (MMEA) conference,
and, this year, John Thomas School
of Discovery’s choir was one of three
choirs to receive this honor.
To be selected for this performance
is one of the top honors choirs can
receive in the state. The MMEA choral
applications and recordings are sent
to music educators outside of Missouri
and are competitively and unbiasedly
judged to determine who is selected to
perform.
With nearly 10,000 people attending
the conference, Taylor Shaeffer, JTSD
choir director, says that the students
were definitely nervous for their performance,
but they were also excited
for the opportunity. “It’s like the super
bowl or state basketball,” stated Shaeffer.
“You’re still going to have those
butterflies. You’re still going to have
those nerves.”
At their MMEA performance, the JTSD
Treble Choir performed a set of South
African music. Through connections,
Shaeffer had been in contact with the
choir director, Bernard Kruger at the
Drakensburg Boys’ Choir School, located
in Cathkin Park, South Africa, who
4 THE NEST NIXA PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAGAZINE SPRING 2019