January is one of my favorite months of the school year. We have survived the busyness of December, are back in school after our winter break, and are now looking forward to the new semester arriving – and a new semester means new repertoire! As you may be currently in the midst of rounding out your spring semester repertoire, I’d like to share something we do that you might consider adding to your spring concert.
I have long utilized student leaders at Nazareth Area High School where I have been the choral director for almost 20 years. I have found that by including students in the daily logistical items that need to happen to keep a high school choral program running smoothly, students in turn feel more ownership and sense of community within the classroom and during rehearsal.
At Nazareth Area High School, we have two curricular choirs: Concert Choir and Nightingales. Concert Choir is my “come-all” choir and Nightingales is the select treble choir. Each of these choirs has an Executive Board which include a President, Treasurer, Social Media Manager and Librarians.
The President of both the Concert Choir and Nightingales are given the opportunity to select a piece of repertoire that they will teach to their choir and then ultimately conduct in the spring concert. This has grown into a special tradition at Nazareth and one the students all love. I have found that programming this special “Senior Farewell” in my senior concert not only adds to the responsibilities of the president position but also aids in creating a special moment in the spring concert. I work with each President on their conducting gesture, how to cue entrances and give cut-offs, as well as how they want the piece to be performed. The leaders tend to select a passage which just the seniors sing as a small group, further giving the President ownership over the selection and making it special for the senior singers.
The Senior Farewell occurs towards the end of the spring concert. Each year, I have my seniors fill out a Google form several weeks prior to the concert listing the names of their parents or guardians, how many years they sang in high school, and their plans for after graduation. My seniors then walk across the stage as I read their information and stand all together, wearing their corsages, as the audience and choir behind them applauds their efforts in finishing their high school education. Once we complete the senior recognition, it is time for the senior farewell songs.
This has turned into a special moment for all involved as many students feel connected to the President who is conducting the piece, to each other who they have been singing with all school year, and to me, their choral director, who is usually at the piano accompanying the song. Obviously it leads to several tears being shed by those parents in the audience as well!
As mentioned earlier, it is up to the President to make these selections each year. The only advice I give to the students is to make sure they like it, it’s appropriate for a senior farewell, and it’s something that is teachable to their choir. I rarely have to do anything beyond giving this advice as they always select something meaningful and special to all involved.
Here are some of the titles the Nightingale Presidents have chosen over the years:
For Good from “Wicked”
Stephen Schwartz
Arranged by Mac Huff
Hal Leonard
https://www.jwpepper.com/For-Good/3301740.item
(I’ve Had) The TIme of My LIfe from “Dirty Dancing”
Arranged by Mac Huff
Hal Leonard
https://www.jwpepper.com/%28I%27ve-Had%29-The-Time-of-My-Life/10083972.item
The Parting Glass
Traditional Irish
Arranged by Garrett Breeze
Lagom Music
https://www.jwpepper.com/The-Parting-Glass/11406213.item
May It Be from “The Lord of the Rings”
Arranged by Mark Brymer
Hal Leonard
https://www.jwpepper.com/May-It-Be/3296761.item
Landslide
Words and Music by Stevie Nicks
Adapted for Publication by Ed Lojeski
Hal Leonard
https://www.jwpepper.com/Landslide/10309536.item
When You Believe from “The Prince of Egypt”
Stephen Schwartz/John Leavitt
Hal Leonard
https://www.jwpepper.com/When-You-Believe/11205678.item
Finale B (No Day But Today) from “RENT”
Jonathan Larson
Arranged by Roger Emerson
Hal Leonard
https://www.jwpepper.com/Finale-B-%28No-Day-But-Today%29/10042263.item
The Climb
Arranged by Mark Bymer
Hal Leonard
https://www.jwpepper.com/The-Climb/10070849.item
I Lived
Arranged by Jacob Narverud
Shawnee Press
https://www.jwpepper.com/I-Lived/10510988.item
All the Way Home
Sarah Quartel
Oxford University Press
https://www.jwpepper.com/All-the-Way-Home/10952508.item
Kelly Rocchi is the Treble Choirs Repertoire and Resources Chair for the Eastern Region of ACDA. She is the Nazareth Area High School Choral Director and Director of the Bel Canto Youth Chorus of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. She can be reached at [email protected].