The third and final performance of “Hairspray” at the Hollywood Bowl was spectacular! An amazing cast was clearly enjoying themselves on stage and during the reprise of “You Can’t Stop the Beat” more than 100 choir students from Los Alamitos High School joined in on the fun. They came running out to dance and sing in the aisles to that catchy tune, with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. The teens were dressed in bright colored t-shirts, jeans and white tennis shoes and really added to the excitement of the finale.

With less than a week’s notice, Mr. David Moellenkamp, choir director, managed to pull together 100 + kids during the middle of summer vacation to spend 3 days rehearsing and 3 nights performing. “It is just a great way to kick off the year!” exclaimed David Moellenkamp, “these kids have really stepped up and shown themselves to be excellent performers on such short notice.”

Sunday night was extra special as at the last minute the students were informed that they would join the cast on the stage of the Hollywood Bowl for a final bow and photo op. The kids were ecstatic and so grateful to the generosity of the all-star cast in their time. Many of the students got individual photos with stars and lots of hugs and handshakes were exchanged. “It’s hard to top an experience like this” Mr. Moellenkamp stated, “but we will work hard to do just that!”

The Los Alamitos High School choir program boasts five choirs and will have over 280 students enrolled this school year. “Many of our students are involved in multiple choirs”, states David Moellenkamp, “and we have seen the program really expand over the past couple of years.” With a classical, concert choir and four show choirs Mr. Moellenkamp is kept very busy teaching music to high school students. “We are so fortunate to have such a supportive school administration and school district”, cites Lynnette McMahon, Note-ables Booster Club President, “they have kept music in all schools within the district.” Note-ables Booster Club is the parent organization that spearheads fundraising and the runs the logistical side of this creative program. “Although the district is supportive of our efforts, the reality is that they provide less than 2% of our $600k annual budget”, Lynnette McMahon explains, “We are always looking for new and creative ways to raise money to keep this program at the top level and allow more kids to participate.”

In April 2011, Mr. Moellenkamp took two show choirs to New York for a national competition. Sound FX is the advanced mixed show choir and consisted of 54 students who delivered a “Harry Potter” themed performance that was a real crowd pleaser. It was also a favorite of the judges, as they gave Sound FX top honors in music, choreography, costumes, a cappella and first place which named them “National Champions”. The second choir is Soundtrax, advanced all-women show choir with over 50 high school teens who wowed the audience with their “Desperate Housewives” set of song and dance. Soundtrax also swept the awards and were named “National Champions”. Following their national titles won on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, as presented by Show Choir Nationals [www.showchoirnationals.com], Los Alamitos is most definitely a major force in the world of show choirs.

Los Alamitos will present four shows throughout the school year. Their first show will be “Broadway on the Big Screen” and you can be sure “You Can’t Stop the Beat” will have a starring role! The Broadway show will be October 13, 14 and 15, 2011.

Via EPR Network
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