Northwest Rankin High School: An Interview with Music Booster Kevin Stump
Northwest Rankin High School: An Interview with Music Booster Kevin Stump
April 21, 2022
Northwest Rankin High School, located in Mississippi, recently invested in their show choir in the way of new risers. We had a chance to speak with Kevin Stump, one of the members of their booster club about show choir, why music education as a whole is so important, and the process of getting their new risers.
Tell us a little bit about your role as a Booster
“The NWRHS Choral Music Booster Club leadership is comprised of several dedicated people. The members of the booster club work with the students and teachers of the choral music department to give them the support they need to have a meaningful choral music experience via the different choirs that are part of the department. The show choir is the most financial and labor intensive of the choirs.”
Why is show choir and music education important to you?
“Anyone who has ever been in a choir or band has benefited from that experience. The students in the NWRHS Choral Music department are no different. Especially those in the show choir program that competes over several months across the state against other top teams. The benefits of being part of a choral music group are related to discipline, work ethic, team building, teamwork and leadership.”
How has show choir changed over the past few years?
“The one thing that I have noticed over the last eight years of show choir involvement is the complexity and digitalization of the backdrops behind the students. I have seen some show choir performances that seem like the students were there to accentuate the digital backdrop instead of the backdrops being a support / accentuation of the students singing and choreography.”
You recently purchased StageRight Show Choir Risers. What led you to seek out new risers and what was that process like?
“At the end of last year, the booster club and school district made the decision to replace the homemade wooden risers with professional risers. Part of that decision was related to moving into a new school and the desire to ensure the best risers for our students to practice and perform on. After performing extensive research, it was decided to buy the StageRight risers. The StageRight team was great to work with so that we were able to purchase the risers for the choral music room and then risers that we would use to create the show choir performance piece and they would travel with us.”
How have the risers helped the show choir improve?
“The new risers have been a huge benefit to our show choir team, the Ambassadors. The students are more confident dancing on professional state of the art risers. In addition, they are much lighter and easier to use when traveling to competitions. Cause less stress on the stage crew who are responsible for setting them in place at the show choir competitions.”
What does the future of show choir look like in your eyes?
“Hopefully show choir will continue to grow and give students the option and ability to benefit from being part of a choral music, band or fine arts experience. These experiences can benefit them as they grow into their adult years.”
