Thursday, April 13, the award-winning, high school a cappella group From the Top flew into Boston, Massachusetts for a weekend-long excursion filled with sightseeing, Italian food, a cappella concert watching and individual classes tailored to improve specific vocal skills.
During the first weekend of February, the group spent the night in Ann Arbor for the International Competition of High School A Capella (ICHSA) Midwest Quarter Finals. They placed second out of nine groups. From the Top was set to compete at the next level of competition, the Semi Finals, but were unable to perform as it fell on the same day as the spring musical.
However, to make up for the loss and provide more opportunity, choir director Jack Phillpson scheduled this visit to Boston. So, the group fundraised the trip themselves, selling succulents and promoting donations through GoFundMe.
Based on the Ann Arbor trip, the singers were excited to travel together once again.
“We stayed in a hotel that night,” senior From the Top member Isabella Allison said. “It was really fun, because we’re all a family, and we stayed up until like 3:00 am in the hotel room and messed around.”
Thursday, once they land in Beantown and set up in a hotel, the group intends on venturing in the United States’ oldest public park, Boston Common, and touring the historic Freedom Trail.
Friday, the music starts–and more tourism. They have plans to shop in Faneuil Hall Marketplace (another historic hotspot for the American Revolution). Afterwards, they’ll watch the Scholastic Competition, hosted by the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CASA) in the Boston Sings A Cappella Festival.
Saturday is all about the music. From the Top will be taking individual classes at Tufts University–also part of Boston Sings–and will later attend the Pro Concert. The show has performances from professional groups Six Appeal and Tiny Habits and, in addition, the winner from the aforementioned Scholastic Competition.
“We get to pick our classes, so there’s a whole bunch of different styles and stuff that you can pick that you want to learn,” freshman Kendra Jane said. “If there’s a certain type of thing you want to learn or certain type of thing to master, you take that class.” She later added, “There are times where we’ll be able to pick a partner and maybe go, but I feel like Mr. P[hillipson] wants us to really to go and step to the beat of our own drum and try to find something new.”
This weekend will be the last trip From the Top will have as this year’s tight-knit group.
“I’m going to miss [a cappella] a lot and miss the family a lot,” Allison said, “and I think it was a lot of fun making music and going to rehearsal and looking forward to that every night.”
Once the group goes Boston wheels up to Grand Rapids airport touch down, they’ll be gearing up for their last performance as a group: the fan-favorite Pops Concert, taking place May 9 and 10.
