On Monday, November 11, Mary Eliot Chapel filled with the melodies of our Middle School choir students along with an audience of their peers, faculty, and staff as all enjoyed the Middle School Choir Concert. The theme of the performance was Gratitude: A Reflection on Music, Mountains, and Mankind. Under the direction of Middle School Choir Teacher Jason Roberts, three different choirs harmoniously performed, treating the audience to beautiful music sung by the Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Choir, the Seventh-Grade Rams Choir, and the Concert Choir (composed mostly of eighth graders with about 15 seventh graders).
This annual concert during the first semester included a variety of gorgeous tunes that stemmed from the theme on thankfulness. Check out the song list below!
- Jubilate! by Sandra Howard and sung by all three choirs
- Da Pacem Domine (from the 1600s) by Melchior Frank and sung by all three choirs
- Shenandoah – A traditional American folk song led by the Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Choir
- Battle of Jericho – A traditional African American spiritual sung by the Seventh-Grade Rams Choir and the Seventh/Eighth-Grade Concert Choir
- Loch Lomond – A traditional Scottish folk song sung by the Concert Choir
- Tunakuja Na Wimbo – Swahili text which means “We come with song, may music lead the way!” The Concert Choir sang this song.
- Homeward Bound – A traditional American folk song often sung to recognize soldiers on their way home from wartime service to their country. This song was sung by the Concert Choir.
- My America with My Country Tis of Thee – A traditional American patriotic song sung by all three choirs
Roberts and all who attended were blown away by the performance. „I can’t begin to express the pride I had in all four of my choirs during our Middle School performance on the afternoon of Monday, November 11—Veterans Day,“ he said. „The Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Choirs sang in the balcony and added such a lovely sound to our ensemble. Their singing of Shenandoah was memorable, and the addition of My Country Tis of Thee to our final song filled many in the audience with the goosebumps of good musicianship! The Seventh-Grade Rams Choir has come so far since the beginning of the year, and the hard work they did on Battle of Jericho really paid off…what a great performance! And finally, Concert Choir raised the bar for all of our ensembles in the Middle School and showed exquisite musicality, especially on Homeward Bound. My musical cup overflowed during this Veterans Day performance!“
Several of the choir members were inspired to share their student perspectives on this semester’s concert. Below, they note their favorite songs, highlights of the performance, and what they’ve learned in choir so far. They also commented on how fitting it was to have a performance centered on gratitude be offered on Veterans Day.
„My favorite part of the Middle School Choir Concert was singing with other kids from grades five through eight, and my favorite song was Homeward Bound,“ shared Lucy Meyer ’30. „I have learned so much about singing different parts and about how they come together to create amazing music. I loved performing on Veterans Day because we got to sing songs related to the holiday and understand their meaning more deeply.“
Jason Gilbert ’29 loved the solo aspect of the concert and the various musical parts singing together. „My favorite song that we have sung in choir is Loch Lomond because of the solos we got to sing in the concert and the depth of the harmonies.“
Marjesta Ford ’29 also ranked Loch Lomond as her favorite song performed. „I loved how all the different sections had their chance to sing on their own, but the rest of the song also sounded beautiful with the different harmonies coming together. All of the three sections singing together along with the acoustics in the Mary Eliot Chapel made for an unforgettable performance.“
Fletcher Davis ’30 loves when the voices create something powerful too. „My favorite part of Middle School Concert Choir, or just choir in general, is the sound of hundreds of voices blending into something beautiful,“ he describes. „The best song to sing (in my opinion) was definitely Tunakuja Na Wimbo. And I love how we sang Homeward Bound just for Veterans Day. All veterans deserve to be treated with respect and honor. Choir is just amazing.“
Eighth-grader Emma Oesch ’29 describes choir class as one of the best parts of her day. „My favorite part of the choir concert was surprisingly the fifth grade singing Shenandoah along with anyone who took choir when they were in fifth grade! That song sits really close to my heart because that was the song I chose for my end-of-quarter solo that we had to do for Mr. Roberts so he could hear each one of us sing individually. Ever since then, choir has been the highlight of my day, and being in Mr. Roberts‘ classroom brings me so much joy that I’m not able to explain in words!
„Something that I learned in the first semester that helped me prepare for this concert was about coming into Mr. Roberts‘ room before or after school to ask for help on a part or section of a song that I needed to learn better. This allowed me to help our choir be successful, and I think that is something that really helped me! Also, I think performing on Veterans Day and singing My America was very important to me because I have countless family members who have either served or are currently serving in many of our military branches. It means a lot to me that we can honor them for their service for what they have done to protect us and this country!“
Thank you to all of the Middle School choir students for beautifully sharing your voices on this special day! For parents and guardians wishing to hear some of this music, the Concert Choir will be performing on December 11.