On Sunday, September 28, nine singers from Parker’s Advanced Choral Ensemble (ACE) departed for the Millikin Vocal Festival at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. “​​I heard a lot of awesome things about [Millikin’s] experience from other choir directors, and so I thought it would be a good chance not only for me to go back and visit and see what it’s like––’cause I don’t visit often––but to really see an awesome choral experience for Parker students,”Upper School choir director Christian Jackson said. Jackson has been the conductor of ACE for three years and graduated from Millikin University in 2020. “Throughout that time there, one of my jobs was to actually run this festival and put it on,” Jackson said. “It didn’t run throughout time with COVID. It came back for the first time last year.”

The festival consists of ten chosen singers from local Illinois choirs that come to the University and learn new music with conductors at Millikin. These singers also got to hear the Millikin Choir perform. “The music aspect of it was really interesting and fun to be able to learn, with more people that we’re not used to, ’cause it was 50-something people,” senior Louise Hall said. “The sound was way louder and it was fun to hear all the music come together.” ACE’s small size stood in a big contrast to the grandeur of the vocal festival, according to junior Sam Goldblatt. “It was interesting because I was very much surrounded by people in my voice group, and at Parker I’m only one of four in my voice group, so it was really amazing to see how so many different voices came together in the festival space,” he said.

Jackson hoped the festival would give singers a look at where they are in context to other high school choirs and how they compare. “I wanted Parker students to see what other high school choir students were like. I want them to see where they are. I want them to see how quickly other kids can also learn music,”Jackson said. “The trend has been like, Advanced Choral Ensemble knows that they are great… but I’m very curious how we compare to other high schools.” Jackson thinks that because of the trip, the ensemble has been able to see where they are in comparison to other high school choral groups, and to be taught by a conductor of the collegiate level. “The best educational takeaway from the trip was definitely students seeing what it’s like to be under a collegiate conductor and… see what those expectations are like, and how it compares to their high school choir experience,” he said.

Standards for music were of high priority at Millikin, according to some of the singers who participated. “We’re all better at learning music than we were before,” Hall said. “I feel like I have higher standards with how it should sound ’cause [at the festival] when we were singing I was hearing so many people.” Other singers joined in the chorus of praise for the rigor of performance. “We worked at a really fast pace, faster than we did in regular choir classes and it was really amazing to see how everyone could keep up and get into it,” Goldblatt said.

The trip also served as a bonding experience for ACE singers and brought stronger connections for some singers in the selected group. Jackson cherished the trip because of how it brought him and his singers closer together. “Getting to see what students are like when it’s time for us to order food, to see what the experience is like when we’re checking into a hotel, going through traumatic experiences at the hotel with rodents that apparently make appearances in rooms while I’m asleep,” he said. “All of those experiences all together not only were moments that I won’t forget, but moments that I’ll always cherish with those students that were there.” This experience wasn’t solely appreciated by Jackson. “I think we got to know him way better than we do in class,” Hall said “I think that [the trip] was a good way to bond and especially ’cause we’re in choir, I think that’s important,” she said. “The best part I think was just getting closer with people that I [didn’t] think I would have.” Jackson saw this as the best way to bring him and the ensemble closer together. “The best ground-level experience that I believe the students have were getting to know me even better than they already do,” Jackson said.

Jackson and the group of singers returned Monday, September 29, gearing up for a year packed with more concerts, trips, and events. During his first year at Parker, Jackson wanted to prioritize concerts in the local Lincoln Park area, then eventually to expand to areas around Chicago. Now, he mentioned a motivation to see how far he can take ACE outside of the city, one example being this trip. “The IHSA (Illinois High School Association) organizational contest in April is probably the next biggest thing I’m excited about,” he said. “Both Advanced Choral Ensemble and Concert Choir are also going to it. They’re gonna listen to us sing, and as we perform, three either collegiate or above-level choir directors are gonna comment on our performance and either tear [us] to shreds or give us all the praise in the world.” Jackson sees these trips as an opportune chance to open up singers’ perspectives. “I think our students know that we’re great, they know that we’re awesome, they don’t know to what extent,” Jackson said.