In years prior, students interested in choir had three options to partake. These included Varsity Voices and Bella Voce which are select ensemble choirs with a try out process. The other option for students who were not selected was Concert Choir. However, this year when students received their schedules, Concert Choir was no longer an option. Instead, the group was split in two, students were either in Chorale or Tenor/Bass choir.
The two choirs are separated by vocal range. Sopranos and Altos, the higher ranges, are a part of Chorale whereas the lower voices are members of Tenor/Bass choir. Jack Philipson is the director of both groups and chose to implement this separation in order to highlight students’ unique talents and skills as singers.
“Having them start high school with that divide and being able to teach to their voices specifically allows them to have something new,” Philipson said. “[It’s] also to learn some fundamentals in a better and faster way.”
Due to this switch, Philipson is experimenting with new styles of songs. Members of the audience will now be able to hear a new variety of music when attending concerts.
“You’re going to hear sea-shanties and marches from Tenor/Bass Choir whereas Chorale has much more floating, beautiful, powerful music in that way because the voices are more successful in those styles,” Philipson said.
While teaching Concert Choir, Philipson struggled to teach both parts at once due to the unique differences between voices. With the division, he is able to teach each voice how to work with changes they might be facing as they mature as singers.
“Every gender at various ages has some kind of voice change that really changes how the instrument works and navigates singing,” Philipson said. “Being able to teach through that process to tenors and basses, on their time, on their own terms, with their own definitions of how their voice works versus sopranos and altos and how their voice works in their own way, allows me to really define my teaching so that they can be more successful in the long run.”
Through the process of dividing the ensembles, the choir room has become a more inviting space for aspiring singers, especially young men.
“I think it [separating the choirs] is going to have a really positive impact on more tenors and basses potentially joining. There is some societal pressure on men who sing that it has some kind of anti-masculine trait so I think now it’s a more safe and welcoming environment for them,” Philipson said.
As tenors and basses grow, awkward challenges arise. This comfort helps them build a community of acceptance which they can thrive in.
“When a male voice goes through a voice change, it is a very rocky road with a lot of voice cracks and things to get used to since it’s such a huge change,” Philipson said. “So, knowing that everyone is going through that and the voice cracks and the goofy sounds are totally part of the day to day, takes away part of that fear and nervousness. I think that will be more inviting for future students to see that despite the huge amount of changes that happen as a beginning high schooler, this is a place where they don’t have to worry about all that.”
Senior Dustin Schmidt has been a member of Concert Choir for three years as well as Varsity Voices and acapella group, From the Top. Due to his experience, he can advocate for the impact that this split will have on young men who worry about cultural normativity.
“I know a lot of people quit choir just because they felt like it was a weird thing to be a part of,” Schmidt said. “I’ve noticed now, a bunch of people see these guys and girls in their specific choirs so they just feel more invited. They feel like it’s not weird to be a part of it now.”
Another unique impact of the new concerts is how the students interact with each other.
“It’s a bunch of underclassman high school boys all in the same classroom so it’s a lot more hyper,” Schmidt said. “They feel like they can be themselves because Mr. P[hilipson] encourages that.”
It is not only Tenor/Bass Choir members who are benefiting from this change. Freshman Lea Hernandez is experiencing the switch from a combined middle school choir to Chorale and is appreciative of the more mature space she can create with her peers due to the stereotypical animated nature of teenage boys.
“It’s a better environment without the guys,” Hernandez said. “I really like that it’s all girls.”
Not only is the class a more productive, the teaching style is more in-depth under Philipson.
“He helps us with a lot of specific exercises,” Hernandez said. “It’s kind of weird because he always knows what to do to help us and I can immediately notice the difference right after.”
While these new solutions are already benefiting the young vocalists, there are aspects that still need to be fine-tuned. Specifically, what the Tenor/Bass Choir will be called.
“For the Tenor/Bass Choir, we’re trying to think of a different name here but we haven’t quite finalized it yet,” Philipson said. “The American Choir Directors Association invited us to sing as part of a multi-generational Tenor and Bass Choir. Throughout that weekend, talking to other singers from high school age to all the way through to professional singers, I think we might be able to come up with an idea for the name.”
