This week, on May 13, our Middle School choir students took their families, teachers, and friends on a harmonious springtime journey for the annual Spring Choir Concert. This spring’s show was entitled Stages & Screens, Songs & Sonnets: Serendipitous Sounds to Soothe the Soul. Under the direction of Jason Roberts, Middle School Choir Teacher, with accompanist Matt Safley, Rams in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades wowed the audience through their vocal talents and enthusiasm—and it was one of the best spring concerts according to their teacher.
“What an incredible year of music-making we’ve had in the choir room and on the Mary Eliot stage,” exclaimed Roberts. “I am so proud of all the growth these young musicians have achieved this year. We sang in unison, 2-part, 3-part, 4-part, and even some moments of 5- and 6-part harmony in the various ensembles. They’ve come so far in vocal confidence, music reading skills, and, most importantly, in their ‘team-like mindset.’ These incredible humans lived into the motto of my classroom: ‘We Are All Different Together!’ and because of that, we truly had one of the best spring concerts I’ve been privileged to conduct since my time at MICDS.” Roberts has overseen the Middle School choir at MICDS for 14 years.
On Monday, a packed Mary Eliot Chapel was filled with sounds by the Sixth-Grade Choir, the Seventh-Grade Choir, the Eighth-Grade Concert Choir, and a combination choir of all three classes. A variety of tunes were performed, from Bach and Handel to those from musicals such as RENT and Newsies and movies such as Moana and The Lion King—there was something for everyone!
Read what some of the singers had to say about the spring choir show, their time in the Middle School choir, and about Mr. Roberts:
- “Concert Choir this year was hands down my favorite class. Time flew by when we were singing with Mr. Roberts. My highlight of the spring concert was when we all put up our stuffed animals for Circle of Life, and seeing the audience’s reactions to our animal sounds in Tres Cantos. Choir was not an option in my past school, and it has taught me so much, including how to expand my vocal range, making the switch from head voice to chest smoother, and overall, singing louder and more powerfully. The Middle School choir was always a great art to have, but I especially like Concert Choir. I got to become closer with people with the same ambitions as me, and we worked better together and created an amazing ensemble. Lastly, I want to share some stuff about Mr. Roberts, because if it wasn’t for him making me laugh everyday and the amazing friendship we have, I don’t know if I would’ve enjoyed choir as much. He truly is an amazing person and has so much energy to share with all of his students. Mr. Roberts helped me find my love for singing, and his students and I will forever miss him and be grateful for all his work.” – Bella Froedge ’28
-
“One of my favorite parts of the choir was just singing with my friends and having a good time. One of my favorite things I have learned this year has been working on my vocal range, how to read music, and how to work as an ensemble. Choir has overall been very fun this year, and I hope to continue in later years.” – Wilson Froehlich ’29
- “My favorite thing I have learned this year in Middle School choir is that we all sound better together. We may have individually strong singers, but when we sing together, it creates beautiful music.” – Lucy Meyer ’30
- “Having a solo was so special because it was in a song with such a powerful meaning and to get the opportunity to sing that was really special. It’s a really cool experience to have a solo because you get to sing in front of everyone and then hear how the whole choir blends together. Also, as the 2028 grade, we have grown so much since fifth grade when we started choir with Mr. Roberts. In fifth grade, you rotate through the four Arts: Choir, Art, Band, and Drama. My group started off fifth grade with Choir, which was sadly on Zoom since we had just returned from COVID. We did not get to be in the choir classroom until the last few weeks of my choir rotation, but Mr. Roberts still made our class love choir. I have learned so many things from Mr. Roberts. He has many sayings in class. Some include: ‘Learn from your past, live in the present, and prepare for your future’ and ‘Don’t count the days, but make the days count.’ The quotes are all about being where you are and that, yes, things have happened in the past, and yes, there is stuff in the future, but what is happening right now is what really matters.” – Abby Walsh ’28
- “Choir has always been one of the best parts of the day, and I do not regret taking Concert Choir. My favorite J-Rob quote is ‘Up, up, up, let’s make some music, eighth-grade concert choir.'” – Andrew Mills ’28
- “My highlight of the spring concert was probably singing How Far I’ll Go at the end as a whole Middle School! It was my favorite song that we got to learn and it was exciting to sing a popular Disney tune to end the year. Also, my favorite thing that I have learned this year in choir is just the music. It gets to a point where it becomes very fun when all the harmonies come together, and it just sounds amazing. I also love how we have bonded as a class through choir. I have made lots of friends who share the same interests and have the same goals and dreams that I do!” – Emma Oesch ’29
Take a look at the digital choir program here. Bravo, Middle School choir students!