The Kickapoo Choirs have a tradition of excellence dating back to the schools foundation in the 1970's. Kickapoo's choirs have performed many times for ACDA and MENC conventions and rated highly at state and festival competitions. We work hard everyday to become better singers, musicians, and human beings.
Kickapoo offers three choral classes for acedembic credit:
Chiefs Chorus is a non-auditioned chorus meant to develop students vocally and muscially for future success in choral music. The emphasis of this course is that students will understand the basics of reading and performing choral music from many time periods.
Bel Canto is an auditioned choir of advanced womens voices performing a variety of choral music and further developing an understanding of choral music. Students work toward mastery in sight-reading and performing choral music from many time periods. Bel Canto will combine with the womens from the concert choir for contest in the spring of 2010.
Concert Choir is an auditioned choir with an emphasis on performance. This is the primary competing and performance choir of KHS and performs music of high quality, always holding its members to a high standard of musicianship. Women of the Concert Choir will combine with women from Bel Canto for spring contest 2010 as the womens ensemble. Men of the Concert Choir also comprise the Mens choir for competition.
We also offer two more select groups made up of students from the auditioned choirs.
Chamber Choir is the tope auditioned group of singers who perform at various events throughout the year and compete at state and festival competitions. The primary focus of this small group of singers is to perform music of the highest caliber from all time periods. Singers must first be members of the Concert Choir. This enseble primarily rehearses outside of the school day.
Acafellas is a small select group of men dedicated to singing men's acappella music. We perform popular, barbershop, sacred, and secular pieces from all time periods. Members must first be members of the Concert Choir.
Directing the KHS choirs is Mr. Nathan Cornelius. Mr. Cornelius is a native of Iowa and holds an associates degree from Waldorf College, a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Augsburg College, and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Missouri State University. Mr. Cornelius has performed choral music in seven European countries and many states, including a performance with the Waldorf College Choir in the Crystal Cathedral. Mr. Cornelius lives in Springfield with his wife, Kristin and three boys; Elijah, Jayden, and Ryan. This is Mr. Cornelius' second year at Kickapoo and eighth in the Springfield R12 school district.