Written by: Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic 

Vocal Point wins small ensemble state title and high school's symphonic choir competes at state

After Newberg High School's Vocal Point choir performed a pair of songs at the Oregon Music Educators Association state small ensemble competition April 27, one of the judges remarked that the students seemed to really enjoy singing together.

On that front, the 16-member group is guilty as charged. In fact, it's one of the things the students credit for their sustained success, which includes two state championships in the past four years after Vocal Point took home the crown about in late April at Pacific University. The group also won the title in 2016 and placed second in 2015 and 2017.

"When you sing these songs, you just feel more connected to one another and it's really a group thing," junior Jashae Salon said. "You feel so together and that's just the overall experience of choir. It's really welcoming and so fun."

Salon and fellow Vocal Point members Miranda Piros and Alanna Randolph also credit the guiding hand of choir director Matthew Fletcher, who is in his third year teaching at NHS.

"Mr. Fletcher really focuses his attention on the group as one whole," Salon said. "He doesn't want anyone to feel left out. He wants this to be a united thing. A huge chunk of this is about emotion. You want to put everything you have into each piece that you sing and I really appreciate that. It's not just looking at the sheets, singing the right dynamic, sing everything right. It's putting more into it than what you think you can."

The trio believe that Fletcher also prepares the group for the pressure of competition by keeping the focus of the performance itself on the joy of singing and not the judges' scores.

"He kind of just throws us into things and it seems overwhelming at first, but we're always able to push through that," Piros said. "I think that prepares us for all different kinds of things, like competitions. It's helped me in other parts of my life, just being able to tackle big challenges."

Fletcher also selected a pair of equally challenging yet contrasting songs for Vocal Point to perform. "Hope, Faith, Life, Love" by Eric Whitacre is the slower and more emotional piece, while Sydney Guillaume's "Tap-Tap" is fast-paced and energetic in harnessing the Haitian-Creole language.

"The meaning behind it really comes through clear in the music," Piros said. "It's about seizing opportunities, not letting things hold you back and going after what you believe it. It's a motivational song, so our group has really taken it on and really showed that when we perform it, too."

It took the group about four months to really get the song down, in part because they had to learn it in small sections one at a time.

"It didn't really sound like a song at first," Randolph said. "It just sounded like the sections until we finally got it together and it actually sounded like music. It was so satisfying to hear it in the end."

Piros, Randolph and Salon said that although the dynamic is a bit different in the school's symphonic choir, Fletcher brings a similar inclusive approach to the much larger group, which qualified for and performed at the OSAA 6A state choir championships Saturday at George Fox's Bauman Auditorium.

"I love walking into choir and seeing everyone and hearing them sing," Salon said. "The music really connects people. Hearing anyone sing together, even if you're at a concert, you know that feeling. We get to learn it together. We're so fortunate to have each other."