Mt. Pleasant Music Department celebrates 30th anniversary

For 30 years now, the Mt. Pleasant Music Department’s Dessert Theatre has been a staple to the departments winter show choir and jazz band season.

On Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3, the annual event was celebrated with its 30th anniversary.

Jim and Marlene DePriest, the Mt. Pleasant Instrumental and Vocal Director’s have been an integral to the music department for years. They both said the event has changed greatly over time.

“The technical side has just gotten better and better,” Jim DePriest said. “I built our first lighting system for our first show. It was not very good. We’ve finally got a sound system that’s rock solid. We’ve got a lighting system that’s rock solid. We’ve learned a lot personally and our department’s learned a lot.”

“For me, it’s been fun to watch the sheer amount of talent that walks across the stage,” Marlene DePriest said. “This year in particular because Jim went back and pulled up all these old videos of everything. We’re like wow. You don’t want to take anything for granted. These kids are just continuing the legacy that Mt. Pleasant has of great musicians and just great kids.”

Hundreds of celebratory goers poured into the Mt. Pleasant High School gym to support the kids and their yearly performances.

“First off thank you,” Middle School Instrumental Director Adam Creager said of everyone involved. “Just huge amounts of thanks to the kids for all their time, work and effort. The parents that have supported them from when they were in fifth grade playing squeaky clarinets, singing a little bit off key and now blossoming into these wonderful musicians we have. They have been uber supportive. Our music boosters, just incredible. They helped set up days in advance. Thank you for the support and thanks for coming out.”

The event began with the high school jazz band and featured the middle school jazz band, Chain Reaction Show Choir (middle school) and ended with InMotion Show Choir (high school). The students also performed a dessert set, celebrating the last 30 years.

An abundance of students also got the opportunity to perform duets and solos for the audience. Payton Boughner and Kade Welcher sang the song “Lovely” for the audience. Thanh Phung performed “Anh Nang cua anh.” Elle Ballard and Jackie Tansey performed “Break From the Lines.” Ballard also performed “L’ ho perduta, me.” Isaac Rynders played and sang the song Strawberries.

Creager introduced the performers and also entertained the audience between changing sessions with a look back at 30 years.

As always, the event allows both middle school and high school students the opportunity to show the culmination of hard work they’ve put in over the year.

“It’s why we do what we do,” Marlene DePriest said. “We love the kids.”

The celebration not only allows the students to show their talent, but it also marks the final meeting between the show choir and jazz band season.

Attendees were given an selection of desserts, as the name suggests, at the shows intermission. Deserts included a variety of cheese cakes and pies.

Preparing the event takes a great deal of work, ranging from food preparation, setting up tables and equipment.

Stan Holtkamp, who is the Mt. Pleasant Music Boosters President said it’s thanks to the volunteers and kids that the event takes place.

“It takes a lot of preparation to set up,” Holtkamp said. “It’s a community of support, there’s no doubt about it. We could not do it without all the volunteers and the kids.”