This year, Warren Central's Acapella group, 16th Street Soul, went to New York City for their first-ever nationals competition. 16th Street Soul was a group that started in 2022 as an all-girls group and started the 2023 school year with only one returning member, that transitioned into an all-inclusive team with many fresh faces. The group formed a bond quickly and had voices that worked well together.
“We grew a bond so quickly because all of us except Ronni are members of Connection, our advanced show choir. We see each other every day during the fourth period and fifth period. We also hang out outside of school. We can also trust each other to hold ourselves accountable for our roles in the group. I hope the returning members will use this method next year,” senior Jordan Monk said.
These students spend hours together, even outside of school and practice, to form bonds that help better the group so that they can function well together and be more comfortable with each other's voices.
“This class is our honors advanced choir here at WCChoirs. After a short day or two of learning the music independently, we bring the voices together and create the song as a group. They meet every day during 5th period,” Head of the Choir Program Brian Long said.
Long started the group with the intention of bringing up confidence and independence in students. The group came first in the ICHSA Semi-Finals and as the coach, he seems to be genuinely proud of them. He would not change anything about how the students performed.
“I was in complete shock when they announced that we won the ICHSA Midwest Semifinals. I think in some ways, I still am. Not only did we win, but we beat the 2022 ICHSA Finals Champion. We were extremely prepared for the competition and there isn't anything that I can say about their performance other than they did what we expected them to do. It just happened to translate into a huge victory,” Long said.
As the group returned from their nationals competition, it was unfortunate to hear that they had not placed in the top three, but the students and coach say that they believe they were already winners before walking on the stage.
“Honestly, it was [big] just the fact that we were in New York and for everyone to be there just enjoying each other's company,” junior Jalen Brailey said.
The students and director speculated about how next year might be.
“I hope the group is better than this year. I want them to know that going to New York and all these performances are just scratching the surface. If they put in the work and effort, I could see them winning professional awards like Grammys or even creating an album,” Monk said.
The Acappella group will keep going, working and improving each year to prove why they are not just a small high school competition team.
“We keep going. This is just the beginning of a ton of opportunities for a group like this. We aren't worried about the four seniors who will transition to alumni status. We auditioned singers on April 18-19 for all of the choirs at WCChoirs. We found the exact vocal instruments that we need to keep this journey moving in the right direction. Miss Coram and I strongly believe that nothing is guaranteed so, no there isn't a guaranteed spot for previous or current members wanting to stay in 16th Street Soul. Every year will be different. It might have all of the current students and it might not, but it will be exceptional regardless,” Long said.
Students that decide to return to 16th Street Soul will have to audition against other students to get back into the group. Most students, even the departing seniors, believe this is a good thing and can be used as healthy competition and new voices that can switch up the sound of the group.
“This is one of the highest choirs so it’s important that people not just get put into the group but also to see what voices would fit together,” Brailey said.
As the season comes to an end, five out of the nine students in 16th Street Soul will be graduating. Senior Tiana Finely left some inspiring words for the groups in hopes that they do their very best for the upcoming year.
“I would tell the team that being ourselves is what makes us sound good but trusting each other is what makes us sound the best together,” Finely said.