2024 show choir is here! Hooray! This weekend, the Ohio season begins at Beavercreek High School, near Dayton, as some of Ohio’s best (as well as plenty of competitors from other states) come to start their competitive season. Read on to find out who will be competing and learn all you need to be prepared for Saturday!
Middle School Division
Hamilton Middle Schools “Cutting Edge”
Jackson Middle School “Spark of Class”
Loveland “Revolution”
All three of these middle schools feed into large Ohio high school programs, with Hamilton and Loveland feeding into their eponymous high schools and Jackson feeding into Grove City. Of the three, Loveland is probably the favorite to win the division, coming off of a 2023 season that saw them take three middle school championships and one second place to Bunsold. Jackson Middle school took four straight second placements in 2023, which may bode a similar placement to Loveland here. Rounding out the middle school division is Hamilton, who lost to both Jackson and Loveland last year, though they did beat major programs like Martinsburg South and South Dearborn.
Single Gender Division
Teays Valley “Glamorous Edition”
Marion Harding “Singers Xtreme”
Noblesville “New Dimension”
Loveland “Allure”
Hurricane “Heat Wave”
The single gender division returns its top three from last year with Loveland and Hurricane’s womens groups and Marion Harding’s mens group. The big question is how Noblesville’s womens group, which has seen success in the tough Indiana single gender scene, beating groups like Franklin Central High Voltage in 2023, will fare against Loveland and Hurricane. Loveland Allure did beat Noblesville New Dimension at Fairfield in March 2023, and Hurricane Heat Wave beat Allure at Beavercreek last year to win the single gender division. Still, anything can happen, and seeing those three womens groups as the top three in any order wouldn’t be shocking. It also wouldn’t be shocking to see Teays Valley’s girls or Marion Harding’s guys sneak into the top three in this division - these groups really are that close to each other, and it should be interesting to see how this division shakes out.
Small Mixed Division
Milton-Union “Center Stage”
Jonathan Alder “High Society”
Elgin “Energizers”
Benjamin Logan “Standing Ovation”
Teays Valley “Prominent Rendition”
St. Clairsville “St. C Singers”
South Dearborn “Opening Knight”
Beavercreek’s small mixed division retains five of eight groups from 2023 and adds Jonathan Alder and Teays Valley. The groups retained include 2023 division winner South Dearborn, who enters as the probable favorite to win the division this year. 2023 4th place finisher St. Clairsville will look to improve to a podium finish in the division this year, while Teays Valley will try to start their first major stretch of competitions under new direction with a high placement in the division. Benjamin Logan, Elgin, Jonathan Alder, and Milton-Union, all storied Ohio small groups, are all very similar to each other in being small programs from high schools with 300-600 students, and those four groups could really place in any order. There also remains the potential that one of those groups could have a podium finish - it truly will be decided on the stage, and this division should also be exciting to watch.
Large Mixed Division
Marion Harding “Harding Singers”
Noblesville “NHS Singers”
Loveland “By Request”
Hurricane “Red Hot”
The marquee showdown the past two years at Beavercreek featured Ohio breakout group Piqua, Ohio dancing powerhouse Loveland, and West Virginia stalwart Hurricane. This year, Loveland and Hurricane return to the competition, while Piqua has been replaced by middle tier Indiana group Noblesville. This matchup, it should be noted, played out last March at Fairfield, where Loveland placed 2nd and Hurricane placed 3rd (behind Ross, an emerging Ohio powerhouse), while Noblesville missed out on finals. Still, that doesn’t mean a similar result is guaranteed at Beavercreek; it is a new year, after all, with much having changed since 2023. Those three groups are joined by Marion Harding in Tier I; Marion Harding finished fourth in the division and sixth overall at Beavercreek last year, an improvement from their not making finals in 2022. It is not out of the realm of possibility that they place top 3 in this division this year; still, it remains to be seen how this exciting competition will play out.
Finals
Beavercreek will take six finalists, as per usual. This means that, even if all four Mixed Tier I groups make finals (which is by no means a guarantee; large mixed groups have missed finals here in the past), there will still be two finals slots remaining. This means that the competitions for top slots in small mixed and single gender will take on a whole new urgency, as those groups look to prove themselves the best in their division and deserving of a finals slot. In the past, those last few spots have been taken by single gender groups, with Hurricane's and Loveland's womens' groups taking them in 2023. However, this is far from a given this year; the top small mixed groups (whether they're South Dearborn, Teays Valley, or St. Clairsville) or single gender groups (Hurricane, Loveland, or Noblesville's womens' groups) all have the potential to make finals, adding an extra layer of urgency to the competitions in those divisions.
Beavercreek’s competition has always been a great start to the Ohio show choir season, and this year looks to be no exception. Though the marquee showdown is different from 2022 and 2023, the groups look to be just as good as the past few years, and the competition should remain at about the same caliber. Beavercreek’s competition will offer a free livestream, as they have in years past, so show choir fans from all around the country can watch the groups perform and the competition play out live. It should be a good one.
Make sure to follow HomeRoom Show Choir for updates throughout the season, as well as lots and lots of show choir content you won’t find anywhere else!
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