Wylie East’s choir department works to improve students’ personal lives as well as their knowledge of music. From left to right, Vice President Joan Lavaki, director Ashley Dame, President Jordan Meyer, director Nathan Dame and Secretary Kamryn King all work together to make choir a safe haven. (Morgan Howard/C&S Media)
Auditions, rehearsals and competitions are regular occurrences for high school choir students in Wylie. Already juggling a full load of class work, students also must commit to various performances and lessons throughout the year.
Last month both schools hosted their fall concerts and they are currently working on winter concert music. These productions last only one night, but all the work involved goes back several months.
“We pick music in the summer and try to theme-ate it all to have a storyline,” said Ashley Dame, associate choir director at Wylie East. “The fall theme was ‘The Road Less Traveled.’ We choose diverse languages and try to tailor songs to each choir.”
After choosing the pieces, directors spend six to eight weeks teaching the songs. Students spend almost an hour each day going over the notes, working on harmonies, blending voices and memorizing the words. This process is repeated for each song – sometimes up to nine.
By Morgan Howard • Staff Writer • [email protected]
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