Band and orchestra all seem to be the main topic for music at FHC, but what about choir? The student body does not make a scene about their upcoming events like they may do with band or orchestra. Walking down the halls during October, all the signs on lockers are about Bandtasia. Not often are there advertisements or announcements about the choir.

Choir teacher Sean Ivory explains that when advertising they want to try and hit more of the building. Music groups, in general, do not get a huge amount of the student body coming. The choir is not noticed or even recognized by much of the student body.

“Choir is labeled as boring or as opera class, but it’s not,” said Jamera Pruitt-Hall, a junior who has been in choir since middle school. “People would be surprised to see how we get from listening to a piece of music to learning all about the culture.”

Pruitt-Hall went on to explain choir is a melting pot of different personalities and sounds melding into one song, a representation of FHC students coming together as a whole.

“We work hard and we have fun because once you put your heart in, you cannot stop giving your all,” Pruitt-Hall said.

The choir is not only an enjoyment to the students involved but also to the parents watching.

“Parents love it,” Pruitt-Hall said. “They make everything we do happen, they allow us to go on trips to Chicago, Disneyland. They are our number one fans.”

Hall was not the only one to agree with this; so did junior Taylor Bass. She stated that her parents love seeing her have fun and enjoy herself with the choir.  

“We have our families’ support and the other members of the choir,” Bass said. “So it does not really bother us that there are not much of the students out in the audience.”

The feedback from the parents and audience has been always positive, Ivory stated. People enjoy the variety of music that the choir sings, and the quality that is being performed with.  

“The attitude in the room this year has been great,” Ivory said. “It is a good year. We are having a great time; the kids in the program enjoy it and appreciate it.”

No matter how many parents or students show it will never stop Ivory from wanting to continue choir for the enjoyment that it brings to the student but also the enjoyment it brings to himself so when asked the questions if the choir was underrated and unappreciated. His response was simple.

  “Underrated and unappreciated by whom? That’s the question,” Ivory said.

Q & A with senior Humzah Azeem

Q: How long have you been doing choir and what made you start and/or continue to keep doing it?

A: This is actually my first year in choir, so I consider myself kind of a rookie! I chose to do it because I got a little taste of this type of singing during the musical last year, and I wanted to do everything I could to improve for the show this year. Singing has always been a passion of mine. Overall I really just wanted to become a better singer, and I figured what better than singing for an hour a day, you know?

Q: Choir was voted as the most underrated/ unappreciated music group. Do you agree, and why?

A: I totally agree with that statement just because I don’t think we get as much publicity as some of the other music groups. The band is always at the football games and they’ve got bandtasia. I think a lot of the times we are forgotten simply because we don’t have physical instruments, we solely rely on our vocal chords, so a lot of the times people may not see us as prominent of a group as the rest of the music program. Underrated or not, all of the programs have an unbelievable amount of talent, and whether or not it is recognized is almost beside the fact, sometimes it is just incredibly overwhelming to fathom truly how brilliant some of our classmates are, and every group deserves a little more recognition!

Q: What do you think can be done to change the school opinion on choir?

A: I think if people were to understand or see how much work actually goes into producing the sound that we perform with, it could have a really positive effect on the student body. All the harmonizing and all the time [we take] to perfect the mature sound is taxing, and sometimes I feel like from the outside people see it as “either you can sing or you can’t” which is not really true. It’s a collaboration. Some people are naturally going to be better singers, but this isn’t “The Voice” or “American Idol”, it isn’t one person trying to outperform the rest. We have a dedicated group of students who work hard together and create a beautiful sound. So to actually answer the question, articles like this one, or some behind the scenes videos would definitely enhance the school’s knowledge of the work that is put in to make the final product look effortless.

Q: What has choir done for you? Has it brought new friends, experience?

A: Choir has made me a much more confident singer. I’ve made a couple new friends and become much better friends with some previous acquaintances. The experience has been wonderful, all the people are so supportive, and there are so many different characters in the class, a ridiculous range of personalities, from the sarcastically confident Skylar Knuff, to the overbearing mother that is Becca Surman, to the sassy Maura Gill, to potentially the nicest person ever Madi Everin. Mr. Ivory has been a tremendous help and he is always willing to answer my inquiries regardless of how musically ignorant they are. I have taken an extra sense of school pride along with everything else just because seeing the inside of the music program has been so enlightening. I am familiar with the sports programs we have from participating and attending events, but when you see the band and orchestra play, or the choir perform, you take the performance for granted and finally being on the working end of that spectrum has given me an illuminating perspective on it all.

Q: If you have done choir for more than 1 year then what has made you continue?

A: This is my first year of choir still, but there are so many reasons I would continue if it were not my senior year. The people for one are incredibly friendly, open, and supportive. Everyone is always trying to help each other out because there is a common goal amongst all of us: to create the best sound we can. The atmosphere is so relaxed even with the intention to succeed, which makes it not only bearable but actually enjoyable. Lastly, you’re just lying to yourself if you don’t enjoy singing and jamming to your favorite songs. The songs we sing are catchy and they actually have history and meaning.

Q: Anything you would like to add?

A: I think it’s sometimes a shame that the musicians in school don’t get the respect that they deserve. The music program that is offered at our school is one of the best in the state, and each member of the program works so hard to perform as best as they can, and that deserves acknowledgment. I would recommend a music class to everyone in order to get a little more cultured and experienced before high school ends, it’s been quite a thrill for the first quarter of the year. Shoutout to the choir kids for working hard daily, there will always be a special place in my heart for every last one of you.