Cedar Springs — The choir room at Cedar Springs High School has been bursting with cheer of late as choristers prepare for the upcoming holiday concerts. And, during a recent special activity spearheaded by new Choir Director David Bremer, non-choir students got an opportunity to partake in some of the revelry.
Bremer opened up the music room to outsiders in early December for Bring a Friend to Choir Day, a special activity during which members of the Red Hawk Singers and bella voce choirs got to invite their friends to come sit in, run through a selection of holiday songs, and generally get a taste for what choir’s like.
The point of the activity was two-fold, Bremer said. Not only does it offer newcomers a chance to test the waters without jumping in head first, it also gives former choir students a chance to come back and see what’s new now that Bremer has taken over.
‘Everyone can sing. And truly, I firmly believe that. A lot of people just don’t give it a try.’
— Choir Director David Bremer
“This is a way to invite (students) to join and experience this, and to try it,” he said. “There were a few students who were in choir last year but didn’t sign up because they didn’t know who I was. And that’s 100% valid. But now they know who I am, they were able to meet me and they were able to experience this classroom again. So hopefully they’re able to consider changing their schedule for next semester.”
Caroling in Class
The bella voce women’s choir brought about 10 new faces to class for the activity. After some brief introductions, during which students shared their names and favorite ice cream flavors, the class warmed up and the singing got underway.
The group went through yuletide favorites like “Joy to the World,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Silent Night” and more, with Bremer sprinkling fun facts about the songs, and pronunciation tips along the way.
For instance, did you know that “Silent Night” started out in German, as “Stille Nacht”? Or that “Deck the Halls” was originally written as “Deck the Hall,” singular? Or that singers should bypass a syllable in the chorus of “Joy to the World”?
“It’s ‘heav-nand nature sing’ — not ‘heaven and nature sing,’” Bremer explained during “Joy to the World.” “We’re changing the words to make sure we don’t add an extra beat.”
Students appreciated the activity for a number of reasons. For senior Maddie Wagenaar, it was a chance to experience a beloved class one last time. The former chorister was not able to sign up for the choir this year due to a packed schedule, but she tagged along with her friend, junior Ari Wright.
“She was my first friend here,” Ari said of Maddie. “I wanted to give her a chance to come back to choir to see what it’s like now.”
Maddie said she was thrilled to have the opportunity.
“I’ve been trying to come back here, but seeing as how it’s my last year, I won’t be able to do that,” Maddie said. “So I was really excited to (be) able to come.”
Freshman Keira “Rowan” Tagg, who hadn’t sung with a choir since arriving at the high school, is committed to being in band, which makes it almost impossible to fit choir into her schedule as well. But at least she got to experience it for a day.
“I thought it was kind of fun,” Rowan said, adding that her favorite song was “Joy to the World.”
Choir students like senior Leah Wright were delighted to spread the word about the program.
“I think it’s really important for people to see how fun choir can be,” Leah said.
Ari added: “I hope more students will join.”
Bremer said the day was a success, and that about one-third of his singers brought friends to class. He hopes it will result in an increased turnout in the semesters ahead, because he believes class has a lot to offer, even for students who’ve never thought much about singing.
“Everyone can sing. And truly, I firmly believe that. A lot of people just don’t give it a try,” he said.
Choral guests will soon get to show off a little of what they learned. Bremer plans to take his choir students on a caroling trip through the high school prior to winter break, and when that happens, the guests will be asked to join in and help belt out the songs they rehearsed.
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