I got this feeling inside my bones It goes electric, wavy when I turn it on Ooo All through my city, all through my home We're flying up, no ceiling, when we're in our zone 'Cause I got that sunshine in my pocket Got that good soul in my feet I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops Ooo I can't take my eyes up off it Moving so phenomenally Room on lock the way we rock it So don't stop Got that sunshine in my pocket Got that good soul in my feet My name is Ryan Stuempges. I am the choir director here at G.E.T. High School. I think a cappella brings it back to the roots. It brings it back to that whole, "We're just having fun here." Stop
Stuempges
Stop.
students laugh
Stuempges
Yeah, we'll stop there, cool.
Hailee
We're here to make music, we're here to make it authentic, and I think that's what's really made this small town in Wisconsin have this successful group.
a cappella vocalization
Hailee
Ooo oo, ooo oo Ooo oo, ooo oo, ooo oo
Ryan
G.E.T. stands for Gale- Ettrick-Trempealeau High School. G.E.T.'s really small. We have about roughly a hundred, give or take, per class. It's just one hallway so that's fun. You don't get lost.
Mackenzie
It's not really about the size of your school that determines how good you're gonna be at something. I think it's the student body deciding we're all gonna work hard to be the best we can be.
Stuempges
What we're doing here at G.E.T. as far as our entire school, we want our kids to have the best and be the best. We just don't settle.
Ally
We have to work so much harder as a group to be able to compare to all these big schools because we don't have as big of a pool to draw from for talent. That just kind of drives us to work harder. Hmm Give me love like him 'Cause lately I've been waking up alone One of the big reasons we're successful is our rehearsal process because we have to learn all of our music at home and outside of rehearsal.
Stuempges
Two, three, four. Whoa
vocalizing
Stuempges
Whoa
vocalizing
Stuempges
It takes a lot of work to not only learn your song and learn your voice part, but to blend with everyone that's singing your voice part. Oh One and two and three and four
laughing
Stuempges
I thought I heard him doing an and. Okay, fine, all right. That first step is all the notes and rhythms. They'll come back, and we'll pretty much have everything down. I don't care if I sing off-key Whoa oh oh I find myself in my melodies Whoa oh oh I sing for love, I sing for me I shout it out like a bird set free Whoa Then we'll sing it a second time through, and I'll ask them to identify all their trouble spots. See what we're doing here? It's really slow. One, two, and slow.
a cappella vocalization
Stuempges
Again, and go, and.
a cappella vocalization
Stuempges
Again, and go, and.
a cappella vocalization
students laughing
Stuempges
That's how quick it is. That's how quick it is.
Sam
Stumps is one of those teachers, he's so, so good at making a group successful and bringing out the best in everyone. You and Sam, yeah, exactly. You're crushing it, you're nailing it. You know that he cares about everybody and he does all these things to help you be successful. For you, I have to risk it all
Stuempges
One, two, three, four! The reason why I'm pushing and pushing and pushing is because my goal is to make it sound as good as it possibly can first.
Carter singing in high octave
Stuempges
'Cause the writing I can't find it.
students imitate his pitch
Stuempges
Just do what I did before. They have to know that they can make mistakes and they have to know that you're not judging them, but you're only there to make them better.
Carter
'Cause the writing's on That was it that time. You can hold that note out, too, like you did before. He really gets people up to the level he wants them to be, and then, keeps raising that bar. 'Cause the writing's on The wall
Stuempges
That was deep, that was good.
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