Kings’ Collective Showcase, a tradition that has been carried out for the past six years. Students in the auditioned advanced choir get their chance to display their personal talents to the audience before them. Some students are experiencing their first showcase as a Kings Collective member, while others have been able to perform with the group over the past four years. Whether students perform a solo, duet, or even ensemble numbers, Showcase is a chance for students to really display the talents that Lewis Cass beholds. 

     In the choir department, their biggest goal is to practice for any upcoming performances or competitions the choir may have. Soloists practice individually, and the group gathers to practice every opportunity they can get. From ISSMA to a concert, the choir always stays on top of rehearsing. With Showcase, it is more of an individual practice. There are two group songs in the set list, meaning the rest of the hour-long show is displays of solos and duets. Kings’ Collective has been learning two of the new features for the group for the previous three weeks. The group is very skilled at picking up musical works more quickly than most. The two group songs are Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield and I’ll Be There for You, most infamously known from the hit series Friends. There are six solo songs and two duets. The expectations this year are looking high. Director Abby Guy said, “My expectations are for this group to have a good time performing and just enjoy being together.  It’s so fun that this event is 100% planned by the students, and I love seeing what they come up with.” The directors’ assistants, Isabella See and Alexis Alford, arranged the whole performance, from outfits to decorations and even the set list. This allows students to voice their opinions on how they would like the performance to look and how they want to carry on the tradition. Guy was asked what she would add to the traditions, or what she might add in the near future. She said, “I think it would be cool to add some other elements to this someday! For example, include an art show with some of our art students, desserts provided by culinary students, and make it more of a ‘fine arts’ experience.  I think this would be a great way to showcase some of our talented students at Cass!”

     Being able to witness this tradition change and evolve is absolutely an honor for any student who has been in Collective throughout high school. Halley Douglas, a senior who has been in Collective for four years, has seen the ups and downs. Douglas was asked what the most sentimental part of her final showcase, and showcase in general, was. Halley said, “As a senior, the most sentimental thing about our showcase to me is that it is just our Collective class. We get to show our families what our class can do. We also get to show each of our own personalities and who WE are.” Being able to stand on the stage and allow the emotions to take over is a near indescribable feeling, and having such an amazing group to back each other up is also a great honor. As someone who has experienced every aspect of Collective, Douglas was asked to give younger kids looking to join Collective a message. Halley said, “If I could tell the upcoming Collective members one thing, I would tell them to enjoy it while they can! Being in Collective goes by so fast, so you want to enjoy it while it lasts and try to be included in as much as possible.”

     The most interesting part about the Kings’ Collective Showcase is that it is created completely by the students in the class. The directors’ assistants, Isabella See and Alexis Alford, are allowed free range to choose whatever theme, group songs, and outfits they would like the class to wear. This year, the theme is “Singing with the Kings!” A night of fun inspired by the hit series, Dancing with the Stars. Alexis Alford said, “The showcase theme was inspired by the recent excitement of the show. We decided on it way back when the show was still airing live, and everyone was watching it with their friends and debating their favorite couples in class!! The assistants thought that it could be a fun way to get many different types of genres of music to the stage and a different type of theme than the ones in the past.” Dancing with the Stars was a hit this year, as many students were constantly binge-watching the show and watching with their friends. The goal for our production is for there to be an announcer and a panel of judges similar to the show, but with singing instead of dancing. As Alexis said, the theme is a departure from past themes. Two years ago, the class chose the theme of travel, which featured hit songs about traveling or moving on. The year following, last year, students chose the theme “Broadway”, where the class featured many Broadway hits. Alford said, “I think there have been a lot of changes with showcase throughout the years. This will be my fourth showcase with Collective, and throughout all of them, the vibes have changed because the group changes each year. When I first started, it was kind of expected for each person to have their own solo song, but I don’t think that would fit our group now.” As the themes change over the years, so does the group performing, so each theme is based on what skills the choir excels at performing. For this year’s class, that is a blend of everyone’s choice. She also mentioned, “Something I have noticed being improved from my very first showcase is student involvement in bringing it together. Different students have started coming together over the years to put it on with the director’s assistants. It’s not just on the teacher and the assistants, many people help to put the showcase on, and that’s what makes it something to remember.”

     Collective Showcase is a tradition that will withstand for years to come. The class has grown as a whole well over all the changes and rough patches. Showcase is their chance to shine, and show the members of the Lewis Cass community what they have worked so hard on and all the talent they hold. This is an opportunity no one would want to miss. The beautiful mix of genres and decades makes the performance blend together smoothly. Make sure to join the Kings’ Collective choir on Sunday, April 19, at two p.m. to experience the showcase of a lifetime.