After a two-year hiatus, chorus has returned to Weir High School thanks to driector Doug Torres, who has helped students find their way into music.
Torres said, “Choir adds so much to the school culture, school pride, and gives students a chance to be expressive with their voices.”
In a social media post, he said, “I love what I do, I have fun doing my job, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” He also stated that he is here to stay and wants to provide stability for the music department.
The students who are a part of the choir agreed that it’s fun and exciting to have chorus.
“It’s exciting having chorus back because even though I never stopped singing. It’s great to be singing in a group again,” said senior Katelyn Berdine.
They also agreed that it brings joy to their days.
Choir struggled when students didn’t join chorus, but it has since grown.
Torres said “We went from having just 7 people to at least 20-25. I call that success.”
Though chorus took a while to get together, this Christmas chorus, and jazz band will be having a Christmas concert this coming winter.
Torres is very excited for his students to sing “A Christmas Carol” for narrator and band by Randall Standridge. “Exciting things are happening at the WHS music department,” said Torres in a social media post.
“Music’s staying power is a function of how timeless the lyrics, song, and production are.”- Gary Wright
“Music is a way for the soul to speak truly and fairly without the difficulty of expressing emotion through speech, “ said senior Kaden Reed.
All of the students agree that music is very important. Reed continued, “Music is very important. Music represents us not just our emotions but also our cultures, our morals, interests, fears, etc. without music I would have a much harder time expressing myself.”
Along with Reed, the chorus members agreed that music helps the soul, and it helps people express their emotions.
“Music is therapy for the soul,” said freshman Kaleigh Silver.
“Chorus is a way for students to have a creative outlet,” said Torres. He added, “Music can always give away emotions without anyone saying anything.”
The chorus students shared that choir has not only helped them learn new songs but it’s also been a lot of fun. “Its been fun and a great experience to expand your knowledge in music.”
The choir has recitals every Wednesday, but some feel it is not enough. Annalea Gooding said, “I think a few more recitals wouldn’t hurt, but we do need time to learn all of the songs, which can take a while.”
With everyone’s schedules, it’s hard to find more time to practice.
Torres said he has some goals for the 2023-24 year.
The first goal is to get his students “out in the community and at concerts.”
Torres’s second goal is for the choir to grow by the end of the school year. He hopes to show other students what they do and hopefully they will want to join.
For his third goal, he said, “We all want to provide quality entertainment for the WHS students and faculty, but also the community as well.”
The music department invites all the experience “The Spirit of the Season” withthe WHS Winter Concert on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. in the theater. The event will feature the WHS Concert Choir, Harmony Heights Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble as well as the WMS 7/8-grade band.
Torres said, “This program has flourished so much over the past few months, and the talent in each ensemble is immense…I cannot wait to see what the next chapter has in store for the Weir High School Music Department.”
