Choir performs first concert in March
April 30, 2021
The choir for grades 9-12 will be returning to the concert on March 19. Due to the COVID-19 virus, this will require singers to stand six feet apart and have masks on during the song. The pandemic has not stopped students and their director from making music. They are all determined to work together to fine-tune their pitches and get everything as perfect as they can for their upcoming concert.
Choir director Angela Mitchell is actively making changes to her creative process to accommodate the COVID-19 protocols and her students’ needs approaching their first concert in the pandemic.
“It is a much slower process, and every time we sort of have wrapped our head around a way to make music or to create together, the model would shift,” Mitchell explained. “It’s still really hard because we only have a very small amount of time, and music takes daily practice. The sound of your voice, the size of your voice, your memory for pitches, your memory for the beauty of phrases and all of the things that we talk about and we create together.”
For a lot of students, the choir is a class they really enjoy and are able to have fun with. Even with the COVID-19 restrictions, the class is still engaging and a nice way to relax.
Junior Drew Johnson’s favorite part about the choir is “Simply singing with friends. It allows for another purpose to see friends as well as it provides us to be artistic and create music together. There’s something about making music with people who are close to you that makes it more special.”
The choir is following all the rules and taking all the precautions necessary for a safe and fun concert. The student’s parents are not allowed to come, but they can watch online, as well as the students practicing physical distancing and wearing masks.
Johnson thinks it is for sure safe. They have sung under many precautions due to COVID-19 and he feels like they are well prepared and know what they are doing in regards to safety.
Students are still able to make music they love despite the circumstances. They have created a community where they can count on each other.
“I like our pieces, we still are able to learn and produce some beautiful music despite the circumstances,” junior Carley Saeger said.
The choir looked a lot different before the pandemic. The large group choir has changed as well. Students are only able to sing with half the choir, and then slowly move back into a large group. As much as the students are glad to have choir back, some still miss pre-COVID-19 choir experiences.
Before the pandemic, Saeger’s favorite part about choir was the community of girls and being able to build relationships with everyone throughout the year.
Students have really stepped up to learn and be responsible for their part as well as being that independent in singing. Since the students have to stand away from each other, and cover their mouths, they have been forced to grow as singers, therefore, bring color to the piece they are singing.
“Choir is about relying on each other hearing the pitch right next to you, blending with the voice right next to you using the strength of the people around you,” Mitchell said. “It’s really amazing though I’ve been telling my singers I can’t even really tell anymore that you’re wearing a mask.”
“My favorite thing about singing is the feeling that you get when you are like making music with others, whether it’s a really beautiful, simple song, or like the hardest piece of music and you’re like yes I got it,” Mitchell explained. “I just think there is nothing as special as making music in that way with others so it’s just so collaborative, and you have to trust each other, you have to support each other when people are all in the same mindset, also expressing a story together through music, it’s just incredible. That’s my favorite thing.”
