Wallkill Unplugged hits a high note

Music is alive in the halls of Wallkill High School, By Nicole Cusick Hardyston — A lively two-hour musical showcase at Wallkill Valley High gave students a chance to show off their talents in contemporary music in a benefit for the arts called Wallkill Unplugged on Friday, April 16. The night began with a band of Wallkill students, Something Else, which performed two songs and sent a force or energy into the crowd. Several solo and group acts followed featuring songs by Jack Johnson, Taylor Swift, Owl City and John Lennon. Wallkill teens accompanied themselves on guitar and piano, showing that there’s a growing buzz of young talent. The first act was brought to a close with the 10-man ensemble of students that are the Acappella Fellas. They won the hearts of many ladies in the audience with their a capella rendition of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” This group typically makes its annual debut at the school’s spring concert where they perform their set of a capella music, but this year they were prepared early and performed one of their numbers at Unplugged. In the second act, individuals and duets performed songs from artists such as Elton John, Ben Folds, Jason Mraz and Justin Bieber. This portion of the show also featured an original song “Tyler House” by four Wallkill students. The show came to a close with the select competition choir, the Wallkill Valley Voices, performing their a capella number “Build Me Up Butter Cup” made famous by The Foundations. This song was a crowd pleaser that featured soloists senior Gina Luisi and freshman Kevin Naser. This group is preparing for its competition in Virginia Beach. Proceeds from this event will help fund the students’ trip to the competition at the end of April. An all-student show Only few know that all acts performed at Unplugged were prepared solely by the students. Auditions were held, the list was posted and the students had about three weeks to perfect their acts. The day before the show there was a dress rehearsal to clean up the technical aspects of the show. The show went off without a hitch on Friday night, thanks to the students’ passion for success under the guiding spirit of choir director Christine Molnar. This was the third year for the program and once again Wallkill Unplugged drew a large crowd, showing that the arts at Wallkill remain strong.