It’s officially December, which means our Woodhaven High School choir students have been hard at work during their busiest season of the year. In the month of December alone, there are three events that the choir hosts: community caroling, choir share day, and the winter concert.
On December 3rd, the high school choir’s top two audition-only groups boarded a school bus to go on a tour of all of the elementary schools, including Woodhaven Upper Elementary School, also known as “The WUE”. They were joined by the eighth grade choir from Brownstown Middle school. They each sang one song from their respective holiday concert sets, then came together to sing “Carol of the Bells”. The Woodhaven high school choir students then said goodbye to their friends from BMS as they embarked on the next part of their tour: performing for local seniors in the community at the Brownstown Event Center. Each choir sang their entire set from their upcoming holiday concert along with some classic carols that the audience was encouraged to sing along to. After the performance, Woodhaven High School choir students spent quality time with the seniors, enjoying cookie decorating, delicious hot cocoa, and unforgettable stories.
The fun doesn’t stop there. On December 8th, Mrs. Chelsea Hymer and the entire Woodhaven high school choir program welcomed the Wyandotte Roosevelt High School choir, directed by Mr. Gerald Hymer, in the auditorium for an annual tradition known as Choir Share Day. Students from both schools started out the day by singing vocal warmups together, then performing some of their holiday pieces for everyone to enjoy. Once everyone had performed, Mr. and Mrs. Hymer worked with each choir and gave them feedback on their performance. Once this was done, it was time for lunch. Everyone gathered in the choir room for Tiffany’s Pizza and snacks. Choir students sat with their new friends and even made a giant tower out of pizza boxes, fittingly named “The Leaning Tower of Pizza”. After lunch, the students gathered to learn a new song, “If I Could Turn Back Time” by Cher. They ended the day by passing around a microphone and giving compliments to each other. All in all, it was a fun-filled day of friendship and music.
The Woodhaven High School Choir students finished off their busy schedule with the most important event of the month: the holiday concert. Each group got to perform all of the songs that they have been working on for months, some notable favorites being “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” and “Sparklejollytwinklejingley”. In between each group, there were soloists and even a Saxophone quartet, led by Freshman Holden Clemmons. The night was concluded by the entire choir performing “Carol of the Bells” and “Grownup Christmas List”.
What’s next for our talented choir students? After Christmas break, they will begin to prepare for what is arguably the most important choir event of the year: DCA Choir festival. At this event, choirs from schools all over the downriver area perform in front of a panel of judges, receiving a score that gauges what level they are at. They will then receive feedback from an expert in the field. With the event taking place in March, the students will only have three months to learn incredibly difficult material. However, I am confident that our Warriors will rise up to the challenge.
