By PARKER KOONS – The halls of IHS are alive with the sound of singing because of the Drama Department’s production of The Sound of Music, set to show this March 16, 17, and 18. This year’s show should be an interesting ride with the introduction of the new Vocal Director, Mr. CJ Lyons. The vocals and choreography are run by the Lyons duo (wife Leah s is the show’s director), which is new for the department. The cast is optimistic about welcoming the new vocal director.
This show includes very challenging music for everyone involved. One of the most challenging parts in the show, vocal wise, is found within the characters of the nuns. One of the nuns, junior, Abby Colonna says, “Mr. Lyons is a fun music director for the musical. He has a good sense of humor and clearly loves what he is doing.”
The process of learning originally started back during the last show and has since developed very rapidly. The reasoning for the rapid learning was because of the quality of actors and director.
Overall, the singers seem to be responding well to the new vocal director. “I enjoy the vocal rehearsals a lot! It is a wonderful experience to get to sing with all of my friends,” says freshman Lily Boulard, who plays Marta, one of Captain Von Trapp’s children.
Sophomore Jacob Valentin, who plays Rolf in the show, stated, “Mr. Lyons has a fun way of letting us learn the music by teaching it with ease and understanding of our musical capabilities.”
Mr. Lyons makes his commute each day to IHS from his home school, Blairsville High School. This commitment is appreciated by everyone involved, and the product he has been creating is very promising.
Indiana will be in for a nice surprise with this year’s musical. All the vocalists have been working very hard, and audience members should expect nothing less than the best.
Photo by Parker Koons
Caption: The Lyons duo welcomes their new baby, Matthew, to rehearsals of The Sound of Music showing this weekend.