Oak Park and River Forest High School’s show choir, Noteworthy, is a highly selective group of singers, dancers and live band members. The group performs locally throughout the year, competing at a show choir competition in March and performing at their annual spring showcase in April.
The main focus this year, now that auditions are over, is team bonding along with many fun events and trips. They will be performing around Oak Park at places like the Oak Park Arms, the Oak Park Public Library, other retirement homes, local middle schools and Oak Park’s annual fair, Winterfest.
Last year’s performances were a rollercoaster of emotions, according to director Meghan Figel. “Last year’s experience was incredible but challenging,” she said. “Trying to get momentum for the group with a new director after COVID has had its challenges, but we had an incredible group of students last year, and I am very optimistic about this year!”
All are welcome to audition, but members need to be dedicated because show choir requires a lot of work and gets very serious when competitions start. The time commitment includes nine to 10 hours of rehearsal per week, which can include four to five hours of dancing, depending on the schedule.
Ultimately, show choir is about bringing people together and having fun. This year’s turnout was great, with many freshmen joining, Figel said. She described the new additions as, “Another incredible group of students. I know they will knock your socks off when you see them perform!”
Noteworthy’s first showcase this year is in November, and they plan to perform many mashups with modern pop artists, like Taylor Swift and a mix of musical theater songs and throwbacks like the movie High School Musical.
Senior Alexia Wolf, who has been in show choir for three years now, said, “It’s a really good way of expression. You can work all your energy out and through your dancing.” Through performing, show choir allows members to let go and have a good time with each other. It’s not something you can do solo, because you need a team to really show out.
Kyler Rettberg, a freshman who recently joined show choir, said, “I think it’s really cool how it’s a close community. And I think it’s good for me because I feel like I’ve already gotten to know some more people.”
Figel’s goal for show choir is to, “give the students an opportunity to showcase their talents at a higher caliber, while also creating a very supportive environment.” That’s always been the priority at show choir; everyone learns to grow, in more ways than one.
