For a small-town school, Lewis Cass does not mess around when it comes to putting on amazing shows. From plays to concerts to musicals, the drama, band, and choir departments all perform amazingly. The choir program, though, just recently wrapped up its annual Christmas Concert. With all of the talk about the new teacher in town, and all of the holiday spirit filing in, the Kings Choir was more than ready to put on a spectacular show for all of their fans!
Speaking of the new teacher in town, the newest addition to the choir family, Abby Guy, has been working with all of her five choirs to get this show on the road! Trying to work with five different aged and skilled choirs could be a challenge, but Mrs. Guy makes it look effortless. Abby Guy was asked how she felt about the preparation process leading up to the concert. Her response was, “It’s always a little stressful in the days leading up to the concert. There are several details that I want to make sure I have “just right” for a great audience experience. But overall, I felt ready!” Finding songs that are perfect for each choir’s skill level can be a challenge and truly tests abilities. For those who do not know, in August, Abby Guy became the new choral teacher at Lewis Cass. Taking a big step into a whole new world, after previously teaching elementary choir a few years back. Having such a big responsibility and role can be exciting, yet nerve-racking. Guy was asked what she was most excited about and most nervous about since it was her first Christmas concert. Her answer was, “I’m really excited about our combined choir pieces. I think that those are always extra special, especially at Christmas. I was most nervous about living up to the excellent standards that our choirs have been doing. I was also nervous about all of our transitions and making sure everyone was in the right place at the right time.” At Lewis Cass, the Christmas concert is one of the biggest deals in the choir world, because the students are able to decorate, sing all sorts of fun music, dance, and just have a ton of fun overall. Mrs. Guy was asked how she felt the concert turned out, and if it lived up to her expectations. She said, “Honestly…yes! Everything went so well, and each choir performed beautifully!” The Lewis Cass choirs were so appreciative of their new teacher, and cannot wait to grow with her!
While on the topic of new people, although not totally new to the program, there are new additions to the Kings’ Collective choir, the high school advanced choir. This choir is an auditioned choir, meaning students have to audition and test their range, vocal skills, and harmony holding skills, to be able to be enrolled in the class. This also means the class learns more difficult pieces and is held to a higher standard. Students audition at the end of the previous school year, find out the results, and then join the class the following year if they make it. This year, one of the new additions to Kings’ Collective is freshman, Brecken Smith. He has been in choir since he was in sixth grade. He is a freshman now and is in Kings Collective. Smith was asked how the pressure, outlook, and differences, compared to jr high choir. His response was, “You definitely have a more pressured feeling on you because the audience expects our choir to be the best of the best! The outlook is that we get to be the star of the show and we get to showcase our amazing capabilities that we all have individually.” Although learning, memorizing, and just grasping the songs the choir sings can be challenging, the songs end up being some of the favorite pieces at the concert as a whole. Smith was questioned about his overall favorite piece at the concert. He responded, “ I really enjoyed “Deck The Halls” because I really enjoy the people in my part and the harmonies and I always love a good acapella song.” Acapella is a normal song, except there is no background music. It is the choir’s job to keep tempo and remain consistent. The concert itself was held on December 4, 2024, in the Lewis Cass High School Auditorium. After the concert, Brecken was asked what his favorite part of the concert was. Smith said, “I really enjoyed just the start of the Christmas feeling and everyone was enjoying themselves to the point that it made it fun for everyone which I love so much.” These concerts sure do help you shift into the Christmas spirit and allow people to have some good laughs with friends and family.
The upperclassmen, have been through their fair share of concerts, and have grown throughout each process. Each process can look very different when it comes to how prepared the choir is. Sophomore, Raegan Mundy has been in choir for nearly five years and has experienced quite a few concerts. She was asked how she was feeling prior to her fifth Christmas concert, and how prepared she thought her choir was. Mundy said, “I think we’re more prepared for this concert than we usually are, and I feel like our songs sound very good.” Kings’ Collective had some challenging songs thrown at them, but they caught them and performed beautifully. Raegan was asked what she was hoping for when it came to the outcome of the concert. Raegan responded, “I hope we are able to share our love and passion for music with everyone else.” Many people express the feelings they have after the concert. They shared the songs they enjoyed, and what they were touched by, and just show their amazement at the program as a whole. Following the concert, Raegan was asked if her hopes were fulfilled and if she was pleased with the outcome. She replied, “ I was very pleased with the outcome of the concert and I think everything went as planned.”
Though learning all of the songs and preparing for the concert can be quite stressful, the outcome is always worth it! The Lewis Cass Kings’ Choirs are so appreciative of anyone attending their concerts and supporting the program. The choir pulled off another successful, amazing show and cannot wait to put on another one for the community. Congratulations, Kings Choirs for a wonderful performance, and best of luck on the next one!
