On the evening of Tuesday, May 13, over 200 MICDS Middle School choir students gathered in Mary Eliot Chapel to present their culminating performance of the school year: Bach, Broadway, Beats, and Beyond – A Night of Beautiful Voices Together in Harmony. Under the direction of Jason Roberts (“JRob”), Middle School Choir Teacher, and with Accompanist John Cargile, our choral students sang their hearts out, danced, laughed, and took the audience on an adventure of gorgeous melodies. The Middle School Choirs showcased music from as early as the 1600s all the way to modern-day choir adaptations of Broadway and current pop music selections.
For the first time ever, this concert was split into two sections due to the number of students involved in all four Middle School grade levels. First to perform were the Fifth and Sixth-Grade Choirs. They began with Bach’s Jubilate Alleluia and Handel’s Art Thou Troubled? Then, they sang a trio of folk music songs followed by another trio of songs from The Sound of Music. Their final two numbers included Sing With Jubilation by Jerry Estes and Climb Higher by Pink Zebra.
After a short break, the Rams Choir and Concert Choir of seventh and eighth graders took over both the Mary Eliot Chapel stage and the front part of the auditorium for their section of the concert. Together, they opened with Seasons of Love from Rent. Then, Rams Choir performed Got My Mind Set On You (originally performed by George Harrison), I’m Still Standing (originally performed by Elton John), and We Go Together from Grease. Next, our Concert Choir showcased five songs: Nothing is Gonna Stop Me by Pink Zebra, Fields of Gold (originally performed by Sting), Time After Time (originally performed by Cyndi Lauper), Go the Distance from Hercules, and Footloose. To close out the concert, both choirs performed together again. They sang You Will Be Found from Dear Evan Hansen and, echoing the last song of the fifth and sixth-grade choirs, they also closed with Climb Higher by Pink Zebra. Both concerts finished with members of the audience standing to give applause. Bravo, choir students!
“My body was oh so tired, but my heart and soul were so filled after the incredible Spring Concert all of the Middle School Choirs performed this past Tuesday!” said Roberts. “It has been such an incredible joy this year making music with all 200+ choir members. They have grown immensely, both as singers and as humans in our shared ensemble space. This year’s Spring Concert was a reflection of chasing dreams, having fun with friends, and using music as a tool to get through challenging times. It was truly a blast to sing, dance, and conduct those kids on Tuesday night.”
“To say I’m proud of these young musicians would be an understatement. Rams certainly know how to have fun and make great music, and I’m proud to call myself their director.”
~JRob
Several students also took the time to reflect on what choir and this concert mean to them. They’ve learned some very important life lessons through choir. Read their thoughts below!
- “The most important thing Mr. Roberts has taught me since fifth grade was that we are all different together,” shared Lexi Essman ’30. “In choir, whether you are a soprano, alto, tenor, or bass, all of our roles are important to form this amazing choir. He has always told us so many quotes about how our own unique voices make up this choir and how important we are to make the choir great. Also, my highlight of the concert this year was when the Seventh Grade Ram Choir and the Concert Choir sang our final number, Climb Higher. It was such a fun and upbeat song to sing. We also had to dance to it, and it was so much fun getting to perform. The look on his face showed how proud he was of all of us, and it made him so happy to see us all sing together. I love choir so much, and this whole year in choir has been an amazing experience that I could do with my friends!”
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“One of the most important lessons I learned in choir this year is to believe in myself,” said Kaetlyn Smith ’30. “At the beginning of the year, I was nervous and unsure of my voice, but Mr. Roberts helped bring my confidence back. He always made me feel like I belonged and that my voice mattered. Because of him, I’ve learned to sing with heart and not be afraid to express myself. I adore Mr. Roberts and will never forget how much he helped me grow, not just as a singer but also as a person. Thank you for everything.”
- Simone Glasser ’29 said, “Leading up to the concert, Mr. Roberts asked two other friends and me to choreograph Climb Higher, our ending song. It was so fun collaborating with my friends. Even if the choir wasn’t dancing full out, Mr. Roberts would always dance at 100%.”
- “My favorite part of the concert was how all of our voices blended together. It was so beautiful!” marveled Avery Brunt ’32. “My favorite song to sing together was definitely Climb Higher because of the two-part harmonies.”
- “The most important thing I’ve learned is to sing meanings, not words. This means to sing from your heart, not from your voice,” explained Allie Masiel ’32.
- Fletcher Davis ’30 shared, “The highlight for the concert for me personally was the song Footloose because, well, I had a half-second solo that involved me jumping off the risers. It was really fun to do the dances too!”
- “My favorite part of the Spring Concert was getting to show our families, teachers, and friends all of the work we’ve put into learning and practicing our songs and choreography all semester,” voiced Ruby Morris ’29. “I think we can all agree that choir with JRob is so much fun, and he made it such an amazing last concert for the Class of 2029 in the Middle School.”
- “The highlight of the Middle School Spring Choir Concert for me was being able to sing fun songs with my friends in peers. I also really liked singing to my family,” stated Archit Saravanan ’30.
- Jordan Soshnik ’30 shared, “I had a great time in choir and love Mr. Roberts. The most important lesson I learned in choir was that you don’t have to be a great singer to be able to be a positive contributor to the choir. Mr. Roberts always says, ‘It’s not about you; it’s about us.’ If you can learn to sing on pitch with others, and you always try your hardest, you can help the team even if you’re not the best singer. I will always have this with me in life, and I learned that you don’t have to be the star to be an important member of any group.”
- “The most important lesson that I learned in choir was to sing meaning, not words. Mr. Roberts taught us the meaning of the words so that we meant what we were singing,” explained Sam McGinness ’32.
- “One of the biggest lessons that I have learned in Concert Choir is that it is not about one person, but about the group,” reflected Julianna Peritore ’30. “Without this, we wouldn’t be the choir that we are. These lessons that I have learned in Concert Choir have not only made a huge impact on me as a singer, but as a person, and I have used them in all areas of my life.”
- “The highlight of the Middle School Spring Choir Concert for me was throwing the money during Got My Mind Set on You,” Daphne Skemer ’30. “We had not practiced that part yet, so I was not sure how it would work. The audience seemed entertained, and it made the song more fun. Mr. Roberts also let the students choose the choreographed dance moves, and that helped everyone feel a part of the songs.”