Area News | Home | Marketplace | Community

Return to Archived Stories


Paynesville Press - May 3, 2006

PAMS choir scores well at Willmar festival

By Michael Jacobson

The PAMS Seventh and Eighth Grade Choir attended the 13th annual junior high/middle school choral festival in Willmar on Friday, April 21. Nine choirs participated in this year's festival, including, Eden Valley-Watkins Seventh & Eighth Grade Mixed Choir, the Paynesville Area Middle School Seventh and Eighth Grade Choir, and the Willmar Junior Cardinal Choir.

During the three-hour festival on Friday morning, each choir had the opportunity to sing for the other choirs and the festival clinician, Neal Haugen, the high school choir director at Willmar. Haugen worked with each group, giving them positive and constructive comments about their performance and ideas on things they could improve. Haugen also completed a written evaluation for each group using the same adjudication forms used for high school large-group contest.

Haugen scored the PAMS Seventh and Eighth Grade Choir with a score of 37, which would earn the top ranking of section superior at large-group contest. His comments included: "Great group!" and "Thanks. It was a real treat!"

Members of each of the groups were required to fill out evaluation forms on at least two of the other groups, and these evalutions were also given to the director of each group after the festival to share with choir members.

The 42 members of the PAMS Seventh and Eighth Grade Choir performed two songs: "I Hear Music in Me" by David Sprunger and "How Can I Keep From Singing" by Greg Gilpin.

They will perform these two songs in their upcoming choral concert on Thursday, May 25. Also performing in that concert will be the PAMS Sixth Grade Choir and some small ensembles/solos by seventh and eighth grade choir members.



Contact the author at editor@paynesvillepress.com   •   Return to News Menu

Home | Marketplace | Community