The annual Valentine’s Day singing gram fundraiser for the Greater Latrobe choir was a great success.
Every year, students participate by purchasing five dollar singing grams from the choir. These grams allow them to send a surprise serenade to someone special within the school.
Choir students volunteered their time to sing these grams throughout the school day, spreading love and cheer with each melody they delivered.
Even though the choir students were not required to sing all day or at all, 20 students committed to spreading Valentine’s Day cheer to the student body all day.
The 20 students who put in the time and effort to learn and perfect the music for this singing fundraiser were all students from the Chamber Choir audition ensemble. Because of their high talent, these students were able to perform songs with complex four-part harmonies and difficult rhythms. The complexities of the music often resulted in students singing notes and rhythms different from those of their neighbors.
Besides singing, the talented musicians also learned simple choreography such as coordinated steps, snaps, drawing shapes in the air, and jazz hands.
The organized procedure that the singers followed was a simple but well-thought-out system established by senior Sarah Hoffman, president of the choir. Before entering a classroom, Hoffman would quietly announce to the group what song they were singing. Then, she would play a prerecorded audio of the starting pitches the choir would need to sing. After that, she would lead the group into the classroom and cue them to start singing.
In previous years, with the purchase of a singing gram, the recipient was guaranteed to receive a rose. However, this year, the choir handed out Serris chocolate bars instead. Shae Wiley, the PR co-captain of the choir and a sophomore, was in charge of distributing each student’s chocolate bar and Valentine’s Day card.
To enhance the experience of receiving a singing gram, the chamber choir singers were asked to dress in festive colors and accessories, adding a flair of color and theme to their performance.
