Highland students perform in honor choir

Eighteen students from Highland Middle School participated in the Iowa Choral Directors Association?s annual South East Iowa Honor Choir on Friday Jan. 24, at Iowa Wesleyan College. All students spent a significant amount of time at school and at home, learning five songs for the honor choir, and then rehearsed for several hours with 21 other area schools, who also brought students. At 7 p.m., the fifth- and sixth-grade choir took the stage with director Debbie Hatteburg of Burlington, and director of the Shoquoquin children?s choir, followed by the seventh- and eighth-grade choir conducted by Judy Wilson, retired middle school choir teacher from Muscatine.

?The students had a blast," said Mrs. Wagner, Highland choir director. "You know, it?s tempting to want to attend these events because it involves skipping school for a day, but it is actually an enormous amount of work for them. The students are in rehearsals from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with two 15-minute breaks and lunch. By the time the concert ends they are pretty tired, both vocally and physically. Once again, Highland students were extremely well-behaved and gracious. Many Highland students hugged and thanked me after the concert, and then hugged each other to say goodbye for the weekend. That?s actually my favorite part of the day, when I get to see the bond they?ve shared, so full of great music and natural adrenaline.?