Jazzing at Ponderosa High School

For those that don't know, I am currently a member of the Sierra Jazz Singers, the elite vocal jazz ensemble at Sierra College. This is the third jazz ensemble I've ever been in, and so far the best one I've ever been in, and I've been blessed in my short time with the group. On November 13, we were given the opportunity to go down to Ponderosa High School to perform our acapella set and do a quick Q & A.

Before I went to Sierra College, the director of the vocal ensembles was Sarah Cunningham. Beloved by all, she was a staple of the program. She was offered the choral director job at Ponderosa High School in Shingle Springs right before Fall 2017. though I never got to work with her, I can see how missed she is, just by how excited everyone on the ensemble was to hear that Sarah invited us to go down there and perform for her choirs.

Since Shingle Springs is a far away destination for everyone in the group, the only logical solution was to drive down to El Dorado Hills, where one of our altos, Michaela, lives, and have ourselves a sleepover Sunday night so we wouldn't have to wake up before existence on Monday morning. After I got finished up with Sunday School and seeing Thor: Ragnarok, I saddled up my suburban and hit the road for the more than 1-hour drive to Michaela's place.

Some of the Sierra Jazz Singers posing for a picture on our walk
about town (Courtesy of Jessica Rose)

And a pleasant drive it was. Backroading anywhere in California is an adventure unto itself, and the destination is the icing on the cake. Michaela lives in a gated community, so we all had to park right outside the gate. At least it wasn't raining because I couldn't park very close to the gate at the time I arrived. I was actually the first one there, so Michaela gave me the early house tour and showed me her collection of knives and swords. Once everyone all got there, it was very chill. We ordered a couple pizzas, watched Impractical Jokers, and played Cards Against Humanity. We even took a group stroll around the neighborhood. Alas, we couldn't stay up too late. Call time was 6:40am, so we had no choice but to get to bed early.

We all woke up around 5:30 so we would have plenty of time to get ready. Thank goodness we didn't have to wear our formal concert attire, but regardless, we had to look nice. We also made plenty of coffee, so that helped the morning out tremendously. We carpooled to Ponderosa, about half an hour from Michaela's place. Since people were getting to school, it was a madhouse. The way they have their parking lot set up didn't help anything. We all met our director, Melissa Fulkerson Jackson, at the school office to sign in. Thankfully, Melissa brought doughnuts and water, which was a blessing.

The choir room wasn't far from the office, and it was your typical high school choir room: tall ceiling and 4 rows of tiered risers lined with typical office carpeting. The only thing that set this apart from most every other choir room, in the eyes of my ensemble, was the director. Sarah Cunningham is a wonderful human being, and even though this was my first time meeting her, I felt like we were already friends. I guess that's just a music thing.

As far as the performances went, I feel like everything went smooth. As the day progressed, I think we got a little more warmed up, so I think we got better by the fourth class period. Sarah asked the students to take notes for a review paper, something I think is pretty cool and I would like to do this with my students one day. Along with notes, they were asked to write questions to ask for a little Q&A session after we performed. Personally, that was my favorite part. There were questions about vocal technique, jazz performance, even our personal experiences in music. I was even able to speak fairly candidly about my journey post-high school, which has had its ups and downs. I even had someone approach me between class periods and ask me how I am able to handle my stutter, which touched my heart a little bit. I think what touched my heart the most was an encounter I had right after the first class. I was on my way out to the bathroom when a young man pulled me aside, asking to chat. He said he wasn't a music person, but he had one question for me: "Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ?" I was a little shocked, but pleasantly so. We talked about how I am a worship leader and about how God arranges meetings like this. I love seeing young men so full of the spirit. We exchanged numbers and I hope to continue to be in contact with him.

Overall, I am extremely thankful to Sarah for asking us to perform for her choir classes. I will always cherish this experience.

For information about the Ponderosa High School Choirs, click here

If you are interested in Sierra College Music, click here

To hear the Sierra Jazz Singers in action, come to Jazz Night on December 2, 7:30pm @ Dietrich Theatre, or The Winter Choral Concert on December 3, 3:30pm at Dietrich Theatre.