As local public schools in Boone, NC operates under purely virtual environments, the performing arts department is discovering new ways to reach the world through music. Those who participate in the performing arts, while being subject to drastic changes and difficulties, continue to stand firm in their hopes of putting together virtual concerts that will carry the same sense of community that live performances are known for.
Like in many other circumstances over the course of this pandemic, quarantining has brought out the creativity in many people, and the teachers and students in the WHS Choir are no exception. Having their entire department flipped upside-down at the moment, both students and their teachers have had to learn to be flexible and open to new ideas.
Lilly Richardson, a singer in the WHS Treble Choir, comments, “These new experiences are just giving us all chances to learn new things.”
WHS Choir Director, Mr. Winbush, agrees, stating, “I spent the summer taking classes in two fields that until June were completely foreign to me: sound and video editing.”
Other ensemble members share Richardson’s positive outlook, gaining a mindset of growth and expectation for the coming year. “Singing in person will always be the first choice,” states Cadence Saner, a singer in the WHS Treble Choir.
“However, I think this year and the online choir is going to be fun, and I’m interested to see how this year is going to look.”
Virtual Choir is what most directors are looking towards for this semester, a way to show togetherness without risking the health of the company. Each student learns their individual part, sends in a video or voice recording of themselves, and then the directors assemble the submissions with the goal of creating an online ensemble with intertwining voices.
“Students will be learning their parts to our literature mostly independently, while rehearsal time will be primarily used to address difficulties they may be having with those pieces, [as well as] building music literacy skills,” Mr. Winbush explains, “We’re confident that the music we’re singing this fall will still engage and challenge our audiences.”
While technical aspects of choirs around the globe are undergoing many changes, the musical core of it all refuses to be put on hold. Mr. Winbush puts it simply, “As long as there are those who love music, those who need a safe place and a community that cares, and those who want to share glimpses of what a better world can look like, the choir will always grow.”
It is in the interests of Director Mr. Winbush and the WHS Choirs that their message gets across to as many people as possible, despite having to switch to an online platform. To make sure their audience has access to each performance this fall, Mr. Winbush faithfully plugs the WHS Choir Facebook page as well as the @whschoraldept Instagram.
Written by Hannah Lutz
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