Choir has always been a prominent class when it comes to the arts. The musical ensemble provides a sense of community and social bonding. Their shared talent connects people, and it brings joy to our hearts. Our choir class was founded in 1916, and even though it isn’t nearly as old as the school itself, it’s still over 100 years old. There have been many choir directors in those years, among them is our current director Mary LaFace. LaFace has been with SBHS  for nine years now. LaFace organizes the concerts by season: fall concert, winter concert, and spring concert. Their very last event of the school year is called the “Pops Concert,” where the theme is different each year. For example, last year’s theme was the 70’s. “We did a lot of really 70’s-style songs, like from Earth Wind and Fire, ABBA, and all of these other famous groups,” says Ms. LaFace. We can’t wait to see what choir goes for this time! 

In regards to what’s upcoming, their first concert is said to be on October 7 starting 9am to 1pm . From what we know now, it’s going to be four hours long. Yes that’s right: four hours. Not to worry, since their singing is sectioned into groups within the Madrigals and Acapella singers. We’ve really got to appreciate the efforts our choir students go through. In addition to that, the event itself is called “The Musical Marathon.” 

“It’s a fundraiser to help us raise money for our program and to help us go on our trip later this year,” states Ms. LaFace. Traveling to different parts of the county has always been a tradition that the choir class has held, “it’s like a trip that we take annually and it’s to different places.” Senior Madrigal, Shanthelle Torres, explains that their next trip is going to be to Orlando, Florida. Not just to enjoy the wonders of Disney World and Universal Studios, but to compete as well. That seems to be the thing most people look forward to in choir. I asked Torres if she recommends taking choir to anyone who is curious, and she responded with many reasons to join. One of them being how the class teaches you how to breathe properly and the anatomy of the mouth. “It really helped with my voice and leveling up to different voice ranges. The class itself also teaches you a lot about music theory, which is really useful if it’s within your interest.” Even though she didn’t willingly choose choir as an elective, she does not regret coming back to the class. It’s safe to say that without the singing ensemble, things around the school would be dull.