Clarissa Wilson has been signing in the Grambling choir for 4 years. She has traveled to many places, but says she never thought she'd get to sing in Washington, D.C. Wilson said, "This means so much to me, I can't even describe it in words. We've been to many places but we've never ventured to the coast of D.C. so I'm very excited." Students like Harold Trotter are just thankful for the opportunity.
He says the chance to tour D.C. during this time in history is a dream come true.
Trotter said, "It's just a wonderful opportunity and I'm forever grateful for it."
The students say they're grateful to their director.
Professor Edryn Coleman had a vision for his students to sing in the nations capitol. He worked hard to make sure that vision became a reality. Coleman said, "I wanted to make sure that the students had a huge performance opportunity. I thought it would be outstanding if we had the opportunity to go to Washington D.C." Coleman made that happen by putting in the needed time for perfection.
The choir practices in the choir room 5 days a week and 2 hours a day, but that doesn't include the countless hours each individual student puts in at home to prepare for such a prestigious tour."
Wilson said, " Countless hours, we've been in here day in and day out. We've had to do solo rehearsals and our sections and we've had to take our music home and personally go over our music." The students say they're hard work has paid off. When they reach Washington they'll be ready for performances they'll never forget. Wilson said, "This is something I'll be able to remember for the rest of my life and I can hold and keep for myself."