On Thursday, October 21, and Tuesday, October 26, singers from the Sharon High School Concert Chorus participated in a choir retreat at the Unitarian Church of Sharon and Temple Israel. The student musicians gathered for a day of reflection, team-building, music, and fun. "This is the third year we have had choir retreats, and it is a great way to begin our year together," said Mr. James Brodeur, the choral music teacher.
The retreat included rehearsals, team-building activities, musical competitions, and meaningful discussions. Rehearsals focused on music for the Sharon High School Winter Concert of Large Ensembles. The tenors and basses worked on Marta Keen's Homeward Bound while the sopranos and altos worked on J. Reese Norris's Paper Crane.
Many singers enjoyed the retreat. "My favorite part of the tenor bass choir retreat was starting to learn a new piece, Homeward Bound, for the winter concert. This three-part song is simple yet beautiful. Our time together as a choir during the school week is limited, so going on this retreat provided a solid chunk of time to learn a lot of music. Laying out the foundations for this song was extremely enjoyable and productive," wrote Evan S. Jaffe '22. "I always look forward to the choir retreats as they're always a great chance for the chorus to progress in their pieces. We come into the church, not knowing anything about the song, and come out with a great sound. These retreats are important for us because they allow us to step away from school and value community," exclaimed Nitya Prabhakar '21.
Find out what's happening in Sharonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
For our students, it was also a bonding experience. "Having a day to forget about school and focus on improving our singing abilities, as well as our connections to each other in the group allowed us to improve a lot in a short period. I felt that having this retreat helped bring the choir closer together, especially when we rarely socialize outside of chorus," wrote Adam Yi '21. "My favorite part of the retreat was when everyone shared about themselves. When people started to say why they love music, and their favorite moments, you could see how passionate they were. It felt like I knew them well, like a friend you've known forever as you bond over something both of you love," said Angelina Manolios '23.
Article written by Manjari Kannan, Tri-M Music Honor Society Chapter Communications Director