Choir spreads holiday cheer

Junior+Christpher+Moore+plays+the+drumset.+%E2%80%9CChick-Fil-A+night+is+a+fun+experience+that+helps+the+choir+out+a+lot%2Cit+is+also+a+huge+fundraiser+for+us%2C%E2%80%9D+Moore+said.+Photo+by+Cora+Bennett

Junior Christpher Moore plays the drumset. “Chick-Fil-A night is a fun experience that helps the choir out a lot,it is also a huge fundraiser for us,” Moore said. Photo by Cora Bennett

The choir cycles through the same songs in the same routine over and over again, but the setting and the audience changes as the choirs pass through their many performances during the holiday season.

“The experience has been amazing. This is my favorite time of year, and getting to sing holiday music all day makes me that much more excited for the holidays to be here,” instructor Austin Hoffman said

The choir department at East is especially busy this time of year. There are senior nights, Chick-Fil-A night, fundraiser dinner and the Candlelight concert. Some choirs also go to senior centers and Hillcrest to sing to them as well. All choirs will be performing at Candlelight and choirs like Take II, E Street Jazz, East High Singers and Bloom will be performing at other events.

“My favorite part so far was when we took Take II and E Street to Chic-Fil-A for our fundraising night and sang our holiday music for all the customers and families. There were so many people there, and it made for a really fun atmosphere,” Hoffman said.

The amount of songs prepared for each group varies between three and seven songs. To prepare for these performances, students will need to be checked off. Check offs are when section leaders of choirs check that the rest of their section understands the notes and rhythms to each song.

“I would have to say the amount of music that we have to memorize and prepare can become a bit stressful at times for everyone. Other than the workload we all end up okay in the end,” senior Breanna Vasquez Glover said.

Bloom, which is a new student run acapella group, and Belle Voix, a new women’s choir, will be performing at Candlelight for the first time this year. Senior student director of Bloom Manni Seffron speaks on how troubling it is to make sure everything is right for the concert.

“It’s very nerve wracking for me as one of the student directors. I have hope that it will turn out fine. We made sure to pick people with a good work ethic,” Seffron said.

With the many public performances, practicing for each choir have gotten more fast paced and hectic to ensure that all students were ready and checked off for the many performances that occurred in December.

“Holiday season is the best time to come and enjoy our show at our Candlelight concert. It is one of the events where everyone gets to see a little everything from each choir group,” Vasquez Glover said.

December is the season of giving and that is the reason why the choir department is especially busy during the holiday season. It is a belief by the choir department that it is important to give back to those this time of year, especially of those less fortunate.

“I want to teach the students the importance of giving back, especially during this time of year. That’s really why I want to perform at places like senior centers. I want to give back to the community and spread the Christmas joy,” director Marjorie Simons-Bester said.