For many artists, playing Austin City Limits means traveling to Texas, navigating a packed schedule, and stepping onto a stage far from home. For the Barton Hills Choir, it can mean walking over from the neighborhood. Their school is about a mile away, choir director Gavin Tabone told me during our ACL conversation. The park hosting a major music festival is also practically their backyard. Meanwhile, I was visiting from New York and treating every transportation decision like a research assignment. That hometown connection makes the experience special, but the choir also brings something distinctive to the lineup: elementary-school singers performing alongside local musicians. “I think we’re the only elementary school children’s choir that performs at ACL,” Tabone said. For him, the opportunity builds confidence while giving students an experience they appreciate. “They definitely appreciate what they’re doing,” he explained, “and the opportunity that we are all getting.” The choir specializes in classic rock, introducing students to songs they might otherwise know through their parents. Tabone explained that earlier ACL lineups made it easier to incorporate music by that year’s performers, with artists such as Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder headlining. As the festival’s lineup has evolved, the choir has maintained its musical identity while finding connections to acts that have performed at ACL over the years. “We focus on the classics,” he said. “That’s kind of our shtick.” The students, however, have suggestions. Tabone receives song recommendations through their parents, including music by current ACL performers. Apparently, joining a choir does not prevent you from becoming its unofficial booking committee. He appreciates that enthusiasm. Performing older songs also gives students a different relationship with music they may already hear at home: they learn it, rehearse it, and eventually recognize it as something they helped bring to life. One song they particularly embraced this year was Madonna’s “Borderline.” “For them to know a song by her and know it inside and out,” Tabone explained, gives them an opportunity to appreciate it more deeply. Preparing for ACL also requires skills beyond knowing the words. A school cafeteria and an outdoor festival are very different performance environments. At school, Tabone has more control over microphones and sound. At a festival, students need to project and adapt. “The kids have to be flexible,” he said. When nerves appear, he reminds them how much support surrounds them: their friends, their director, the musicians, and their families in the audience. Warm-up performances help, too. Older students bring experience from the previous year, while younger singers gradually become comfortable with the stage. Watching that confidence develop is one of his main motivations. “It happens all the time,” he said, describing students who begin shy about singing into a microphone, then grow into performers capable of “owning the space.” There’s something lovely about that progression. Before a child can feel comfortable commanding a festival stage, sometimes they just need practice adjusting the mic—and people who believe they belong behind it. Tabone hopes the students carry that confidence beyond ACL. This is their biggest show of the year, and he emphasized that neither the choir nor its families take it for granted. For the audience, his wish is wonderfully straightforward. “I want them to feel joy. Joy, joy, joy, and I want them to leave with a smile.” The children have fun, the parents sing along, and classic songs find another generation of performers. For a group whose neighborhood park becomes a festival destination, that sounds like a pretty memorable weekend and a strong answer the next time someone asks what they did outside school.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at St. John's chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.