The Unaccompanied Minors traveled to San Francisco and Denver over five days for their “February tour,” as Music director and choir teacher Kate Burns calls it. The group left for San Francisco on Wednesday Feb. 24 and returned home on Sunday Feb. 28. This was the group’s first time traveling together.

While in San Francisco, the a cappella group performed at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) annual conference. They sang for leaders and educators from independent schools around the world.

The group then traveled to Denver to participate in the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) competition. The Archer girls competed against seven groups from across the country and were the only group selected from Southern California.

Even though the competition was far from home, at least a dozen Archer parents and family members supported the group from in the audience.

“We had a huge cheering section, they made signs, they even brought cupcakes,” Burns said.

While the group did not place in the top three, Burns emphasized that they were grateful to have been chosen to attend.

Burns, as well as several students in the group, added that the trip was a bonding experience.

“The moments offstage were really exciting for us because we really got to connect as a group, unlike we ever have before. Especially after our NAIS performance, we all got into a huge hug with Ms. Burns and it was one of those really meaningful moments,” Alexandra Sherman ’17 said.

“The trip was the most incredible experience I could ever be a part of. We bonded as a group and we found our voice as a group, and that is so powerful to know how capable we are of achieving greatness,” Anabella Ronson ’17 said.

“It was really nice to live as an ensemble together for five days. The girls bonded a lot in terms of their friendship and their musicality. They were just constantly singing with each other, always working on the music, even just singing on the street for people. It was really cool to see the group become completely cohesive,” Burns said.