Choir auditions, judged by choir teacher Sara Cowan, vocal teacher Kathryn Bohn and accompanist Stephen Bouma, took place Jan. 22-26.
The auditions for both A-cappella and CHS Singers are “low stress,” and “low pressure,” according to both senior Owen Fuesel and sophomore Violet Little.
Cowan agrees, because she has taught for many years and she understands the stress students may go through, and that she wants to keep it at a minimum.
A-cappella has no limit of students it can take, Cowan said, and she always wants it to grow. Before auditions there were 49 students involved in A-cappella, and 26 students in CHS Singers. These classes are the more rigorous choirs, encouraged for anyone who has experience or is dedicated to singing.
“There’s a lot of students who come in with very little experience and are just the perfect fit for A-cappella or even CHS Singers right from the start, it’s all about dedication and ability to learn music,” Cowan said.
After three years of choir, Fuesel emphasized that auditions are more of a placement than an audition and finding where your voice fits into the group. Fuesel said the teachers have been working a long time and understand students’ needs and they are here to teach, not to judge.
Little said her favorite part of choir is the community. She is excited to be a bigger part of choir next year and is hoping to “expand on relationships” she has built over the year.
Tryouts for CHS Singers happened on Jan. 28 after school in groups of three or more. The judges listened to each group sing a small excerpt and put the results up on the choir door the next day.
Little described CHS Singers as a kind of honors choir.
“It’s a more involved choir; they do a lot more student-led stuff and a lot of volunteering. Most of the time there’s no conductor, so it just makes it more of a student’s project,” Little said.
Fuesel is excited for new students to join and encourages everyone interested to look into it. He believes choir allows students to go above and beyond in their work, allowing them to learn how to improve themselves and as a group.
“It’s kind of just dedication, you know, you have to be willing to put in the work and not only learn the music, but also go beyond learning just the music, the notes, the rhythms. It’s so much more than that to me, and to all the others involved,” Fuesel said.
Many students agree that choir is a safe place for everyone and builds up skills that can be used in the future. Every student who would like to learn to sing is highly encouraged to join choir and become a part of the community.
“We have five choirs that meet throughout the school day, and regardless of anyone’s talent or skill level, there’s a choir for everyone,” Cowan said.
