Mixed chorus teacher, Lynne German, is responsible for two morning classes, the Madrigals on A days and the Cantandos on B days, and she is currently preparing them for the fall and winter concerts.
Chorus sounds like an easy elective. However, a lot of preparation goes on behind the scenes. German expects top effort from both her Cantando and Madrigal class. Especially this time of year, as the fall and winter concerts are approaching.
“We are working on about nine songs for this fall concert,” said German, “and we will add at least five more for the [upcoming] winter concert.”
German’s classes take place during first period, one on A days, and the other on B days. Every morning is spent with vocal warm-ups and stretching in order to get everyone’s vocal cords and bodies ready for singing.
“We are also working on sight reading practice, which we need to build skills to demonstrate at our November 2nd District Auditions,” said German. “Each of these rehearsals helps build our singing choir into a more developed ensemble.”
German’s classes consist of students with varying musical experiences. German takes the time to make sure every student is together on pitches and notes while also coaching her students through constructive criticism.
“Mrs. German is tough on everyone,” said sophomore and cantando student, Madilynn Philips. “Overall she is good at encouraging others and keeping everyone involved.”
Getting every student involved is an obstacle that German strives to overcome each year. Some students from years prior return, while some new-comers who enter the course don’t have any previous experience or are looking for an easy A. Regardless of intent or experience, everyone is required to focus and follow German’s directions.
“Some students every year have difficulty getting their concert attire together, reading our emails [and] Remind texts for concert updates, [as well as] attending the tech rehearsal[s],” said German. “These things are traditionally more difficult than learning music! We also always have students with stage fright, so we work to help them perform the music enough before the concert to overcome [their stage fright].”
German’s focus isn’t just on teaching sheet music and pitches; she also encourages her students to push themselves to become more involved in the class and singing outside of the classroom.
“Mrs. German has encouraged me to become more involved in class by pushing me to my full potential, and encouraging me to audition for All District Chorus, All State Chorus, and Senior Honors,” said senior madrigal Isabelle Nowlan.
Only so much can be rehearsed in school during the first block, and vocal performance is not the only aspect of the concerts German directs. Her other duties include overseeing everyone’s concert attire, delegating the stage light set ups and sound checks with Mr. Andrew Smith and Mr. Lee Cooper, and communicating with her class officers, other faculty members, and parents to keep everything and everybody on track.
“All in all, planning a concert involves a lot of activity behind the scenes. We would not pull off our beautiful concerts without the help of our student officers and parent volunteers,” said German.
German carries a lot on her shoulders with getting everything and everyone prepared for the chorus concerts. She leads, coaches, and motivates her Cantandos and Madrigals while also organizing outside work for concerts. She nurtures her relationships with her choirs, leaving students excited and prepared for more vocal-learning opportunities each year.
