Every student who participates in choir looks forward to their first performance of the year. A lot of planning goes into the concert especially from the choir director, Mr. Matt Walker. Mr. Walker directs multiple choirs this year and puts in a lot of work in and out of school to make sure everything goes well.

“There are a lot of different things that go into preparation for a concert, and particularly for the fall concert.  Not only do we have music to prepare, we have to prepare robes for the choir members, concert programs, setting up the stage, as well as some other logistical aspects,” Walker said.

Planning the concert is no simple task, and a lot of work goes into it. Above all the challenging obstacles such as programs, the stage and robes, he says the hardest part of planning is the music. 

“I think the most challenging aspect from the student perspective is definitely the music.  This year’s music is pretty challenging; there are a lot of details to pay attention to, and a lot of multitasking going on while singing.  But the singers have been working hard, and I believe they will have a successful concert because of their dedication to preparation,” Walker said.

“Every year is different, each choir with their own personality and dynamic.  These groups seem to enjoy what they’ve been working on, and I believe they are excited for this fall concert,” Mr. Walker said. Overall, Walker is very optimistic and is looking forward to this year of choir. 

An important part of the choir, however, is the students involved. Maria Brown has been in choir all 4 years of her high school career and is looking forward to her senior year. 

When Brown was asked how her senior year was in comparison to her past years she said, “This year we have great leaders, especially Juliana Karl. She is the most talented musician in the room by far. She is so knowledgeable, hard working, yet still humble. With people like her in choir leading by example, I think great things are in store for us as long as we ALL work hard. In show choir, we live by the saying ‘you’re only as good as the person next to you.’ We all have to take time to prepare our music by practicing, and if we do this I think this year will be very successful!”

Brown loves being in choir and has a message for anyone who is thinking about joining or is already in it, “Choir is so amazing. It gives you a chance to get to know people, express yourself through music and relax from other classes. If you’re thinking about doing choir but don’t want to get made fun of for it, think about who you’re hanging out with. You’ve got bigger issues if you’re limiting what you can do based on the opinions of others.