Pisgah "Innergy": A Story of Sustenance and Success

By Tony Holeman, Southern Contributor

PHOTO: The first-ever competing Pisgah Innergy Show Choir in 2011 | Pisgah Performing Arts

In Mississippi, there is a place so small that it isn’t even officially considered a town. Sand Hill, with a population hovering around 400, exists quietly as an unincorporated community, often overlooked and limited in resources. By most general standards, it’s the kind of place where opportunities are expected to be scarce. Fortunately, Sand Hill has never really followed those expectations. Despite its size, the community has produced a recent Olympic gold medalist, sustained strong agricultural roots, and built programs that continue to serve its people well. And tucked into this small corner of the state is something even more unexpected: a competitive show choir program that has not only survived, but also thrived.

Pisgah Innergy is, in many ways, a contradiction. It harbors a niche activity in an already small school, in an even smaller community, competing in a world that often favors larger, better-funded programs. And yet, for nearly two decades, it has sustained success. Pisgah’s program is currently tied for the longest divisional win streak at eleven consecutive competitions. Over time, they’ve made multiple finals appearances, earned 19 total divisional wins, and claimed division titles in 12 of their 16 competitive seasons. At various points, the program has even expanded to support both a middle school group and a treble group, with the middle school ensemble still active today. It has even produced professional show choir directors and choreographers for other programs. None of this has happened by accident, but rather through consistency and care.

At the center of it all? Mrs. Linsey Smith.

PHOTO: Mrs. Smith receives the 2024 MS ACDA Excellence in Show Choir Education Award | RCSD

Interestingly, Smith didn’t grow up in show choir. Like many educators in Mississippi, her introduction came later during her student teaching experience. What started as a single competition trip turned into something that would ultimately shape her career. From there, her path led to Northeast Jones (where she would direct the middle school show choir, Tiger Vibe, while Jodi Austin served as the director of Gold Horizons), and eventually to Pisgah, where she stepped into a K–12 music position. At the time, the high school graduating class hovered around just 20 students. The choir itself was even smaller. There was no established program. No built-in structure. No guarantee that something like show choir would even work. But that’s kind of the point.

What Pisgah Innergy has become didn’t happen all at once. It was built piece by piece, through recruiting students one at a time, fundraising however possible, and slowly creating a culture where none had existed before. By the early 2010s, that foundation began to show results. Competitive success followed, but more importantly, so did identity.

PHOTO: Pisgah Innergy during their undefeated 2018 season with their “Motown” show | Pisgah Performing Arts

Today (and currently 73 competitions later), Innergy is not just a group. It’s a presence and a culture, something students take pride in being part of. And for programs in similar situations (small schools, limited resources, uncertain starting points) Pisgah offers something priceless, and that is living proof that it can be done. To better understand how that kind of success is built and sustained, I spoke with Mrs. Smith about her journey, the challenges along the way, and what advice she would offer to others hoping to create something of their own.

INTERVIEW WITH MRS. LINSEY SMITH

Q: When did you know you wanted to work with show choirs?

“I was first introduced to show choir during my student teaching in the spring of 2002 with Judi Holifield when she invited me to attend the 2002 Mississippi Show Choir Contest. I traveled that long-ago “Show Choir Saturday” to PRCC when their program was under the direction of Dr. Mark Malone. Ms. Holifield took me out onto the gym floor so I could experience my very first show choir competition up close and personal. A few groups performed, but nothing truly 'wowed' me until South Jones Company took the floor. From the moment they stepped onto it, I was completely stunned and blown away by what those students could do. From then on, I had an entirely new level of respect for show choir.”

Q: If given the chance, would you have done show choir in high school?

“My high school didn’t have show choir, but I was heavily involved in cheer, band, and dance. Those activities were honestly what got me to school every day.”

Q: What influenced your decision to come to Pisgah and start a program?

“Life moved me to the Pisgah area, and there was an opening for a K–12 music teacher. It just worked out that way.”

Q: When you arrived, what did the school look like in terms of size?

“The graduating class in 2003–2004 had only 20 seniors.”

Q: How did “Innergy” get its name?

“I had a student at the time, Carley Pierce, who attended SCA that summer in 2010. While we were trying to come up with a cool name for the high school group, she shared a story from one of the clinicians about having the 'inner' qualities to create energy. It clicked with us and just made perfect sense!”

Q: What lessons did you take away from your time at Northeast Jones that still apply today?

“Oh gosh… a lot! Everything from musical skills to the everyday challenges of teaching: discipline, classroom management, and more. But above all, the most important thing for a show choir director is to love. When that’s at the center, everything else tends to fall into place naturally.”

Q: How did you go about starting a show choir from scratch?

“Back in 2003, I was hired as the K–12 music teacher, which meant I taught every class K–6, along with two high school general music classes and a small choir of just 13 students spanning grades 7–12 (12 girls and 1 boy). During those first couple of years, I began incorporating elements of show choir into my 4th–6th grade music classes to give students early exposure. In 2005, we chartered a bus PACKED with Pisgah students and drove down to the Petal Invitational, an experience that left a lasting impression. That same spring, we launched Pisgah’s first middle school show choir, and the audition turnout exceeded all expectations. We began competing in March 2006 at the Petal Invitational. I was also fortunate to have the support of husband that was usually building or hauling something to competitions and of my then principal, Dr. Norman Session, who encouraged creativity and provided the space needed to develop the program. By 2010, we were ready to take the next step: Innergy was established.”

Q: How did you recruit students in such a small school?

“The best way is simply to walk up to a student and ask them to try out! Being part of a small school definitely has its benefits, you really get to know all of the students on campus. But whether it’s a big school or a small one, taking the time to approach a student and show genuine interest in them makes a difference.”

Q: What about funding in those early years?

“Lots and lots of fundraisers and supportive parents. At our school, we receive a very small budget that barely covers the cost of our music. Show choir requires so much these days to remain competitive, so it largely falls on the parents and students to raise the necessary funds.”

Q: What were the biggest early challenges?

“Establishing the show choir culture. We are a generally a country school, but now it’s a clear culture of show choir kids on the fine arts hall. You see students proudly wearing their Innergy and SCA shirts daily in the hallways.”

Q: What advice would you give someone wanting to start a program in a small or under-resourced area?

“A successful program begins with the support of both the administration and the broader school community. Building and sustaining a show choir is a demanding process, making strong parent involvement essential. Parents must not only be supportive, but fully invested and excited about the program’s vision and goals. It takes a VILLAGE.”

Q: What makes Pisgah specifically able to support something like this?

“Pisgah has a lot of heart. There are dedicated people who truly want the best for their children, so I give the credit to the students and their parents.”

Q: What has kept the program going for nearly 20 years?

“LOVE for each other and love for the music that we share together.”

What is one thing you wish you had known before starting Innergy?

“I wish I had been introduced to show choir prior to my student teaching experience. It has clearly become a prominent part of music education in Mississippi, and I hope colleges are preparing future educators not only in traditional choral practices, but also for the unique demands of the show choir classroom.”

Q: What is one show choir related and one non-show choir thing you are most proud of?

“When my students are recognized not only for how they perform, but also for how they act off stage.”

Q: Is there anything else you want people to understand about your program?

“That I want my students to feel safe being who they truly are. That matters just as much as anything we do on stage. And something we talk about often is having an 'I get to' mentality. This isn’t something they have to do, it’s something they get to do. Getting to perform, to compete, to be part of something bigger than themselves, that’s a privilege, and I want them to see it that way.  And finally, that my show choir students hold a permanent place in my heart. I can recall every student and their graduation year, and I've maintained relationships with most of them beyond their time in my class. It's been meaningful to be part of their milestones, from playing at their weddings to holding their newborns, and now I'm teaching the next generation as their children join my program.”

PHOTO: I perform the Dirty Dancing lift during my senior year in Pisgah Innergy | Tony Holeman

Needless to say, Pisgah Innergy did not begin with advantages. It started with a willingness to try and a director who believed it was worth building. Nearly twenty years later, that belief is still what carries it. Under Mrs. Smith’s direction, Innergy has grown into something few would expect from a community its size, and not just in success, but in identity. It is a program students are proud to represent, and one that continues to sustain itself year after year.

For anyone looking to build something in a small or under-resourced area, Innergy is proof that you don’t need everything to begin. You need persistence and patience to build something that lasts. You need support from people that care enough to see something special grow.

Pisgah Innergy did not start because it had to. It does not continue because it has to. Pisgah Innergy lives on because the people involved understand the privilege in front of them. They understand they get to be a part of a special community that Mrs. Smith and those who came before them, has built. They understand that Pisgah Innergy is more than just a show choir. It's a testament to the persistence, intent, and the support of an entire Mississippi community.

PHOTO: The current logo for the Pisgah Show Choir program | Pisgah Performing Arts

Pisgah Innergy Fun Facts:

• Pisgah Innergy has an all-time divisional win rate of over 26%

• Ethan Martin, who was a member of the first-ever Pisgah Innergy started his own current show choir program at Morton High School named One A'Chord

• Pisgah Innergy is the first competitive show choir to have ever completed the full run-and-catch lift from Dirty Dancing (biasedly included because this was my senior year goal)

• Pisgah Innergy has never left the 1A/Small Division tier in competitive show choir

• Pisgah has made a total of 5 finals appearances

• Previous show themes include, but are not limited to: Motown, Elvis, 70’s, Soul Train, Little Shop of Horrors, Phantom of the Opera, Dirty Dancing, Where’s Waldo, and many more!

• Four former Pisgah Innergy members (Haden Stephens, Willow Stephens, Walker Burrell, and Thomas Lum) are currently in a rock band together under the name “The Stephens Bros.”

• In 2020, Pisgah debuted its first ever treble group under the name Sequence