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2024 ACDA Southwestern Region Conference February 27 - March 2, 2024 Denver, Colorado

Wylie East High School Young Junior High School
Varsity Tenor-Bass Choir Young Men

Young Junior High, located in Southwest Arlington,
The Wylie East Varsity Tenor-Bass Chorus is a di- is a two-year school with an enrollment of approxi-
verse group of ninety-five singers in grades 9-12 and mately 800 students. The band, choir, and orchestra
represents two of the three tenor-bass choirs on cam- programs at Young all consistently earn Sweepstakes
pus: A Cappella Tenor-Bass Choir and Select Tenor- Awards at UIL Contest, and members of each orga-
Bass Choir. The tenor-bass choir program has expe- nization garner numerous individual awards at city,
rienced rapid growth from approximately twenty-five region, and solo contests. The choirs at Young have
singers seven years ago to over 130 this school year. performed at the Middle School/Junior High Nation-
The performance of the Varsity Tenor-Bass Choir at al Convention, Southwest ACDA, TMEA, National
Southwestern ACDA not only marks the inaugural ACDA, and for the Texas State Board of Education.
conference performance for the choral program, but
is also the first choral ensemble from Wylie ISD to be
selected for performance at a music convention. Christi Jones has been teaching choir
for twenty-four years, all but one have
been at Young Junior High in Arlington,
Nathan Dame is proud to serve as direc-
tor of choral activities and coordinator Texas. Choirs under her direction have
of fine arts at Wylie East High School. performed at TMEA (2015 and 2022),
Dame has conducted choral ensembles SWACDA (2014), National ACDA (2019), the MS/JH
of elementary through collegiate singers National Convention (2012), and for the State Board
as a faculty member in the Texas public schools and at of Education (2015). Jones has pieces published by Carl
the University of Kansas. At Wylie East, he conducts Fischer, BriLee Music, RBC, and Excelsia (UIL Sight-
the A Cappella Choir, Varsity Tenor-Bass Choir, Select reading pieces), with many inclusions on the Texas UIL
Tenor-Bass Choir, Out of the Blue, the school’s popu- Prescribed Music List. She was named Teacher of the
lar music ensemble, and oversees a thriving choral pro- Year at Young in 2011. She and her husband, Scott, re-
gram of 375 singers in eleven performing ensembles. side in Arlington with their sons, Neal (14) and Carson
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he acts as (12). Neal will be singing bass and Carson will be sing-
vertical team lead for the Raider Area Choral Depart- ing tenor 1 with the Young Men at Southwest ACDA.
ment. He was a national finalist for the Dale Warland
American Prize in Choral Conducting.

CHORAL JOURNAL January 2024 Volume 64 Number 5 111