A series of rhythmic claps from students roar through the large gym as junior Zane Stephens, along with their other peers, take in the sound of praise and happiness. This is a regular feeling for Stephens anytime he performs alongside his choir, but all the practicing and rehearsals makes the outcome all worth it. As if it couldn’t have gotten any better, he finds himself finding joy alongside his fellow singers.

 “I do have fun attending choir, because you get to meet people that have the same interests as you.” Stephens said. “We all stand in a group and we all sing together, it’s really fun.”  

As Stephens collects every speckle of enjoyment that comes with attending choir every day, it adds more and more to the list of all things that are amazing with choir. Sometimes, he can’t help but list all of his favorite things.

“My favorite part about choir is probably the friends that you make, along with the  connection you make with the teacher,” Stephens said. “We’re all really good friends with her, including our teacher; it’s like we’re all best friends.” 

Stephens is not the only one that feels enjoyment, as many others do. However, some look at it from a different perspective, and more as a career path for them, including the enjoyment of choir along the way. Sophomore Francis Canales dreams of being a singer one day, and feels as though choir helps her to get to that goal. 

“I’ve always loved singing, and our teacher shows us how to do it correctly without hurting your voice,” Canales said. “Plus, you get to perform alongside your peers, and that gives you life skills if you want to be a singer.”

With her goal of becoming a star, she still finds herself enjoying singing with her classmates, and getting to bring everyone together during simple events such as drills for the school.

“My favorite part of choir is the friends that we all make, and just getting to sing during tornado drills,” Canales said. “We start singing our song that we are currently learning, and it calms everyone down; it’s really nice.” 

As the year comes to a close, the Fine Arts Festival was one of the final big events for every student to enjoy each other’s company and create an amazing atmosphere for people to walk into. Choir director Donna Solverud conducts her choir as they perform in front of the crowd, each person watching them sing their hearts out. This was one of Mrs. Solverud’s first performance with her choir, finding the fun that comes with conducting her class.

“This is my first year here, so I’m learning about what everything is like, so the fine arts festival was extremely fun,” Mrs. Solverud said. “I want to make sure that everyone can hear our performance next time, as there was a lot of talking, same with the pep assembly; I know it can be intimidating to perform in front of the entire school, but it’s fun still.”

With each year passing by, Mrs. Solverud’s job is to make sure that anyone who wants to join choir feels as welcomed as they possibly could feel. As the director for all choirs, she wants to encourage and support anyone that may question joining the class.

“If you like to sing, you don’t have to be the best singer in the whole choir, because being in choir means you’re singing in an instant family,” Mrs. Solverud said. “If you know that you’re with your people, it really helps with confidence; it’s also just a really fun learning atmosphere, because being involved in music just activates that creative side of your brain.”