In the first weekend of the holidays, the St Paul’s Collegiate School choirs ventured down to Tihoi for their annual three-day camp. Our mission was to learn music, improve the quality and accuracy of sound in the choir, enhance performance, and bond as a team through rehearsals and activities.

Once nearly 60 students were crammed into the bus with all their belongings, we were off, jamming our way through the two and a half hour drive. Upon arriving at Tihoi, the choir dove head first into three hours of rehearsal. All four choirs were voice matched, and begun learning the repertoire, with our sights set for upcoming performances and competitions. In addition to this, we also had sessions concentrating on other skills such as musicianship, language, conducting, quartets and planning our pranks on Head of Music, Mr Carpenter.

With everyone's voices well rested, Day 2 had six hours allocated for rehearsal, with the rest of the day reserved for eating and breaks. During those long practises, the progress we made was evident. The language became crisper, the tuning was finer and the focus remained strong despite the ever-present temptation of an intense volleyball game. The second day finished with snacks and a few songs sung around the campfire, shielding us from the cold night air.

Near the end of the camp, we were able to experience the great sound and performance that we could create together and enjoy the fruits of our hard work and perseverance. Overall, the camp was a great opportunity for the choir to create memories as well as make monumental progress towards our goal to succeed at the Big Sing competition in June, as well as the tour to Australia in July.

A big thank you must go out to all the teachers and Tihoi staff who hosted us as well as the students themselves who helped make this camp the success that it was.