Rock Erkelens, a senior for Legacy Choir, says that choir “…is a wonderful thing to be able to create something that changes people’s emotions.” So how and why should students join choir?
Choir is an extracurricular activity that focuses on singing with others. There are many different sections of choir all with very different activities.
There are also three you don’t have to audition for. One of these non-audition groups is the Men’s Chorus, which is an only men’s group which learns how to sing, read notes, and use proper vocals.
The counterpart to this group is the Silver Notes which is a female only group that focuses on the same things as the Men’s chorus.
The final group you can join is the Handbell choir. This choir focuses on the use of handbells while you sing, this group is for anyone who wants to join. All of these are recommended to take before you audition for the other three choir groups.
The three choir groups you have to audition for are Acapella, Silver Serenade, and Legacy Chamber. Silver Serenade is the only one of these three that are gender specific, it is a woman’s only choir that focuses on singing quality and poses quite a few challenges for the students, they also go to multiple festivals and concerts. Acapella is for anyone to audition and teaches the more advanced techniques of choir, they also go to multiple festivals, concerts, and competitions.
Last but not least is Legacy Choir, this is the most advanced choir group and they have two auditions for new members, this group goes to multiple events, and they do multiple community performances in their year.
Katelynn King, a student in Legacy Choir says “Being able to sing in that space was glorious”.
Not only do members develop terrific singing skills, but they get to go places and sing with their team, making team chemistry a must. ,
Beckham Morreale, a student in legacy choir, said, “At first I was not good at working with others… after joining choir and having to do all this different stuff you learn to rely on your group”.
Going to all these places and singing with so many people you learn to trust your team and Isaac Yorgason, a senior in legacy choir says, “Choir is a place where you learn how to sing if you love singing.”
During spring when they hold auditions for the different groups, you just go to Mr. Musselman’s room (room E106) and tell him what group you’re auditioning for and what voice part you want. During the audition you will be asked to sing a few scales so they can check how high or low you can sing, they will check your memory by playing several pitches on the piano and ask you to repeat them, and finally they will be asked to sight sing multiple measures.
The three groups you audition for all go to region competition, this requires formal attire and a lot of practice with your group. They all have separate competitions and here’s how they went: Acapella got a Superior which is the highest reward, and 2 one minuses. Silver Serenade got 3 one minuses. Legacy Choir got a one and 2 one minuses.
Choir is settling down for the end of the year currently, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have anymore events, on May 6th Legacy Choir is having a concert, Then on May 8th the Handbell Choir has a concert.May 8th – May 10th is the State Choir Festival at Libby Gardner Hall, University of Utah. On the 12th there is a Choir Banquet in the commons, then on the 13th there is a Spring Choral Concert where all Choirs will perform, and finally on the 19th there is a graduation with Acapella at the Dee Events Center.
Choir is a couple of amazing groups that are always welcoming new members, for the experienced and inexperienced alike. No auditions are required to join Men’s Chorus, Silver Notes, or Handbell. If you would still like to try out for any of the other choirs, Mr. Musselman is located in room E-106, or send him an email at jomusselman@wsd.net.
If you have a passion for singing–or even if you just want a performing arts credit–you should definitely join one of the choir groups.
