It all started with an early plane ride and ended with a collection of unforgettable memories. Seniors Emma Bucher and Dakota Hansen, along with PHS choir director Mrs. Rachel Schoessler, journeyed to Spokane, Washington, for the highly esteemed All Northwest Honor Choir.

After pouring hours into their audition tapes, Bucher and Hansen were both selected out of hundreds of auditions to participate in the highly esteemed SSAA Honor Choir for the American Choral Directors Association Northwestern Regional Conference. 

“[Emma and Dakota] didn’t back away from the countless stacks of audition materials I threw at them,” Mrs. Schoessler said. “They prepared and sent in fantastic auditions, all the while trying to navigate college auditions and the hardships that come with senior year.”

Once the trio arrived in Spokane, they were immediately ushered into countless rehearsals with SA Choir director Mr. John Byun who took a vastly different approach than what Bucher and Hansen expected. 

“He was probably the greatest director I have ever had,” Hansen said. “Traditional choir directors have a very formal approach, whereas in this choir, we were able to not feel the strict pressure and foramilites directors have used in the past. Instead, we felt every moment of excitement, joy, sorrow and peace in the songs we sang, and you could see it on the stage when we sang.”

In addition to this, Mr. Byun chose music that inspired the singers and invoked a sense of passion within the musicians which helped them create a beautiful masterpiece that re-kindled the desire to sing and produce music. 

“I will say that choir music is not my favorite, and I don’t always like how choirs sound or the songs they sing,” Hansen said. “However, I have learned that with a great conductor and some motivated, music-loving students, choir music can be the most moving, spectacular thing you ever hear. All-Northwest helped re-ignite my love for choir music and remind me of why I sing.”

 The song choices seemed to be a highlight of the endeavor. Since they were all presently living composers, it provided the singers with the opportunity to interact with the composers whose music they were performing.

“My favorite part was the songs we performed,” Bucher said. “We performed songs by all living composers, so anytime there was confusion we called [the composers] and they answered our questions in a matter of minutes. The composers were also really fun and unique people.”

While the students were busy rehearsing, the choir directors attended a conference that was specifically geared towards music teachers which is different from the meetings the teachers attend at PHS.

“[The conference] was refreshing and enlightening,” Mrs Schoessler said. “I attended a workshop that demonstrated how to prompt students to adapt their voices to different tones in a very tangible way. I’m excited to implement some [of these] ideas next year at the middle school and high school levels that will produce stronger musicians and allow my students to create stunning music.”

Looking into the future, both Bucher and Hansen are planning to pursue music education during their years at university. The Honor Choir taught them valuable lessons and offered them insight to put towards their future careers. 

“I learned a lot of things I want to bring back to my classroom after I get my degree in music education,” senior Emma Bucher said. “It not only strengthened my relationship with music, but it confirmed my wanting to share [music] with a new generation of people.”