A grant from the Minnesota Perpich Center for the Arts helped fund a Southwest Middle School eighth-grade choir field trip May 28. The choir students and Sherry Seberson, director, participated in a Trills and Thrills Choral Festival, in which they performed three songs. The three selections were the swing-style “Zither, Zinga, Zing,” the classic “Lean on Me” and the 1980s hit “True Colors.”

The performance was evaluated by qualified judges who scored the choir in intonation, diction, technique, interpretation, balance, and choice of repertoire. The group received an excellent rating by the score it received. The judged performance was held at Highland Park High School in St. Paul, as organized by the Trills and Thrills Organization. The choir received a plaque of participation, with a ribbon showing the excellent rating. The group also received a copy of the taped and written comments by the judges on the performance.

Students qualified for the field trip by achieving a choir grade fourth quarter of at least a B. Students had the opportunity to participate in a fundraiser to earn the portion of the fee not covered by the grant.

As part of the Trills and Thrills festival arrangements, after singing, the group spent the afternoon at Valleyfair Amusement Park in Shakopee before returning to Albert Lea.