Since second grade, I’ve jumped at any opportunity to sing in a choir. After school elementary choirs, middle school choir, and high school choir, I’ve done it all. Singing in school choirs has always been a huge part of my life; unfortunately, this year, that was taken away from me and the dozens of other choir kids.
There really isn’t anyone to blame but ourselves. Choir’s numbers have always been dwindling since the pandemic, going from a full two classes at its zenith to one measly class with less than twenty people before its fall.
All the way back in eighth grade I took part in choir. One of my biggest highlights from that course was our collaborative performance with the Westview concert and chamber choir. Being a part of that concert was a surreal experience for me. Standing on the multi-leveled risers, in the midst of harmonies blessing my ears, it entranced my tiny, inner choir kid to the core.
Singing with Westview’s choirs made me realize how good choral music could really sound. In middle school, we stuck with simple two part arrangements while Westview boldly took on advanced four part pieces.
The moment that really stood out to me was when they sang “Thriller” by Michael Jackson and came down from the risers to perform some choreography. After watching that performance, the students in the Westview choir became my heroes.
But before my dreams of joining them became reality, Chamber Choir (the advanced choir) was canceled and the choir director retired over the summer of 2022. I remember getting an email informing me that there weren’t enough students enrolled in Chamber Choir for it to be a class that fall. Thus, all the choristers would be moved into one class.
The theater teacher, Robert Townsend, offered to take over the class after the retirement of the outgoing choir teacher, Mr. Moyer. Understandably, since Townsend’s expertise is as an actor and director, our choir class would focus more on show choir aspects than on singing as a traditional choir.
I was disappointed, of course, but not discouraged. I was happy as long as I would be singing with my heroes.
During that freshman year in Show Choir, I made many lasting memories: meandering from class to class singing Christmas carols, singing “Never Gonna Give You Up” to students who received Valentine’s day grams, and of course, our final concert as a choir, filled with tears and nostalgia.
As a new freshman thrown from my close-knit middle school into a vast High School, there were many people who I didn’t know in my classes. But choir had always been a safe space, a little compass in the wilderness. Choir was my gateway to finding trusted friends and my first taste of social interactions in high school. Every choir I’ve been in had a community that welcomed any and everyone. Singing with others creates a bond like no other and I always held the people I sang with dear to my heart.
Second-period Show Choir was a class I looked forward to every day. Though I hadn’t taken especially hard classes in freshman year, it was nice for me to have a little break in my schedule for something I loved. Choir was my shared little musical escape.
Many of my peers would stress day and night about their test scores and AP classes. Researchers have shown that even listening to music for a few minutes can better someone’s mood. With Choir, I certainly felt my mood lighten after rehearsal and I’m sure others would too.
Other than breaking away from the rigorous classes at Westview, being in Choir also had physical benefits for me. Many people often forget that choir constantly engages your body, whether it’s in breath control or posture. Choirs often start warm ups with breathing exercises, slight stretching, and, of course, vocal warm ups. The breathing exercises and stretching are mainly there to help relax the body and improve posture before singing.
The little moments of quiet in my life that Choir gave me are now long gone. The thrill of harmonizing in a choir, having a safe and guided place to learn music, and goofing off with friends
was something I’d taken for granted until, soon after course selections, the news of the cancellation of Choir for this school year reached us. No one was surprised; we’d all seen it coming. The exodus of students from choir began as the pandemic subsided. Many people avoided choir, deeming it another likely way to catch illnesses. From then on, numbers just kept decreasing.
The tragedy of choir truly is devastating for those who genuinely enjoy it. After the removal of choir as an elective, many people sought out other choirs outside school. I myself recently joined a choir, but I know it’ll never feel the same as it did in my freshman year. Since the majority of the students in Choir didn’t have past musical experience, school choirs would always guide us through the music in a step-by-step manner. In Choirs outside the school environment, this seldom happens. Choristers are often expected to learn the music on the spot or on their own. Choirs in school are specifically crafted so that it’s a shepherded class.
I’m sad to know that people no longer have that opportunity or place at Westview to learn how to sing. But, with time, maybe we can bring choir back to what it once was: a home for people like me.
