High notes and high achievements

On March 4-5, WHHS choirs will be heading to the OMEA Large Group Choir Contest at Winton Woods High School. This will be the first in-person competition the WHHS choir program has had since before remote learning.

The Junior Choir, Men’s Ensemble, Women’s Ensemble and Senior Ensemble will all be attending the contest. School choirs from all around Ohio will be present to compete against each other.

Of the many schools that will be in attendance, Taylor High School will be there.

“One of our big competitors is Taylor High School; that’s actually where Mr. Albright used to teach,” SENIOR Melanie Mitchell said.

To prepare, the choirs had a “pre-contest competition” earlier in the week to be ready for the upcoming competition.

“It went really well. [We’re] all really excited,” Mitchell said.

The choirs have been busy preparing for the contest for weeks now. Even after they learned the music, they continued to work through it, and make provisions.

“After we learn all the notes and the rhythms, we critique it and try to make it sound more colorful and more musical,” Charli Maxwell, ‘24, said.

Despite the pressure that competitions bring, the students feel prepared and are confident that they will come out on top.

“In previous years we normally get ones and I think we’ll get a one [this year],” Maxwell said.

The decision to give a choir a one is not taken lightly since a one is the highest score a choir can receive. The judges look through a lot of criteria when considering which score to give each choir.

“They judge you on your diction and how well you know the rhythm in the songs,” Maxwell said.

There are many levels at these choir competitions. The choirs decide ahead of time which level, or class, they will be competing in. For example, WHHS choirs compete in the AA Class, and they are some of the only choirs to do so. The AA class is the highest class that the choirs can compete in.

“So really, you’re competing against yourself,” Mitchell said.

A big part of the reason that the WHHS choirs receive high scores is because of the accomplished teaching staff.

Choir teachers Anothony Nims, who teaches the four high school choirs, and Bret Albright, who teaches the four junior high choirs, both work hard to ensure that students participating in choral studies will leave WHHS the best vocalists they can be.

While teaching at WHHS, Albright saw the high school choir program grow tremendously. It has gone from 1 choir with 32 members to three choirs with well over 175 members. The middle school program has also grown significantly from three choirs to six choirs.

As the program continues to grow students are sure that they will continue to earn superior ratings.

“The choir department, and the music department in general, is one of the most wholesome places ever. I’m so glad I’ve been a part of it for the past six years,” Mitchell said.

What is Senior Ensemble?

From visual arts, to dancing, to acting, there is a place for all students to channel their creativity at WHHS. Within vocal studies alone, there are countless choirs and ensembles that work to bring music to our campus. At the pinnacle, is our very own Senior Ensemble.

The Senior Ensemble is the highest choir organization at WHHS, in which they perform a variety of musical styles from different time periods, languages and cultures at a college level. The Senior Ensemble is made up of both juniors and seniors who are dedicated to singing. The pace that these students have to learn music is significantly faster than any other ensemble at WHHS.

“All the skills that we’ve been developing since seventh through 12th grade are basically to prepare you for the Senior Ensemble where you’ll be able to get a piece of music and just be able to sing it,” Gemma Huber, ‘23, said. Huber is a first-year member of the Senior Ensemble.

Because of this, members of the Senior Ensemble are very strong at reading music. They use a system called solfeggio for singing notes.

“By senior ensemble you’re able to look at a piece of music and be able to sing it right away,” Huber said.

Currently, the Senior Ensemble is preparing for their upcoming competition on March 4. They will compete in the WHHS auditorium at the regional choir competition.

At these competitions, the judges give ensembles a score from one to five, with one being the highest score. The Senior Ensemble nearly always earns a one at competitions so they feel confident they will walk away feeling accomplished.

Simultaneously, the ensemble is working through the Bach Magnificat, which is the 30 minute work they will be performing in March.

“We have a lot more work to do but I think it’s gonna be really cool seeing that come together,” Huber said.

Since they have had to learn a lot of music in a short amount of time, this long piece is like the “crowning accomplishment” of the ensemble.

Though the choral studies courses are considered classes, the students apart of them find friendship, family and community throughout the years.

“It’s like a big family, especially around choir concert time,” SENIOR Taylor Blair said.

Senior Ensemble allows for students to form great connections and understandings with their fellow classmates while helping them become the best version of themselves vocally.

“Singing is a form of expressing myself; it’s just freeing to be able to sing and just do what I love everyday,” SENIOR Simone Simmons said.

Singing through the years