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Schools

Voices From Eight Schools, Singing Together

Elementary students spend the day at South Lakes' chorus workshop.

 

Chorus students from the South Lakes Pyramid feeder schools ( Lake Anne, Terraset and Langston Hughes Middle School) gathered at South Lakes High School on Thursday for a day long Chorus Workshop.

"Excited" seemd to be the unofficial theme of this day.  Teachers were excited to bring their students to the high school. Clearly, the students were excited to be at South Lakes. The South Lakes Chorus was excited to welcome them, ready with a name tag and a plan.

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With everyone gathered in the auditorium, the South Lakes Show Choir, Men's Camerata and  Women's Chorale performed selections.

Then the students divided into four groups  to attend three different workshops. They would learn two pieces of music to perform as a group. Along the way they would be introduced to how the chorus works best as a unit, when each member contributes their best and respects the other members.  They also picked up good rehearsal habits for a large group.

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 "This Pyramid  Workshop is  a great experience for our children to work with the older students  from the middle school and high school," said Beth Atkins, music teacher at Hunters Woods Elementary School for Arts and Sciences

 Midway through the day, all attendees were treated to a 20-minute concert by 50 members of  the George Mason chorus.

"The entire reason for this day is to see the possibilities of music from sixth grade all the way through college," said Mary Ella Malone, Forest Edge music teacher and one of the coordinators of the workshop.

Rita Gigliotti, South Lakes chorus director, coached the voices to "e-nun-cee-ate" and sing with proper breathing and phrasing.  All the students worked on some tricky phrasing, but seemed to have the section mastered when they left.

Katherine Bubser, Langston Hughes chorus teacher, enthusiastically led the students through the second piece, which focused on rhythms and harmonies.

The third workshop was led by the South Lakes chorus officers, who showed that camaraderie is a perhaps one of the most important benefits of chorus. After some cheers, dance moves and ice breakers, the younger students seemed convinced that chorus was fun.

"It is very exciting to see younger students come in, exposing them to all the options,  how teachers are different, how much fun we have, how much is available for singers," said Madeline Moravitz, South Lakes senior and section leader for Bella Voce, the audition woman's choir.

To close the day, the groups came together again in the auditorium. By then, instead of being from eight different schools, they had become one chorus. 

 

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