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I have for years envisioned the children of our school singing the Hallelujah Chorus. From the hard work of my high school choir teacher, Mrs. Hogan, I will forever cherish this preeminent Christmas song. It is and will ever be one of the most challenging and beautiful songs a choir can sing.
This year we decided to split up the 4 parts by 4 different directors. We worked and rehearsed for months individually on our parts, and then in November we combined them.
The first time I heard our students sing it together was in our cafeteria, where the acoustics have a lot of reverb. They sounded amazing! After practicing the tenor part independently for weeks and weeks, it was inspirational to hear all the parts flowing together.
We had some great leaders for the sopranos, altos, and basses. Each group was ready to sing their part and when we came together it was amazing how it “clicked.” The sopranos have that super high part, and it was jaw dropping (almost literally) to listen to them reach those high notes.
We performed the song at the annual Christmas Coral Sing with all the other schools, and the District Officer was so impressed he asked if we would perform again at the Tree Lighting Ceremony for the Central Eleuthera District the following week. The trouble with that performance was that it was outdoors.
With one final week to rehearse and practice the children standing in their lines and watching the conductors keep the proper tempo – finally performed in front of the government building. The kids did a great job.
The Hallelujah Chorus has been a cherish hymn for me stemming back from my high school days. I’m am blessed to now pass on that memory and I pray that this song will forever remind our children of the advent of our Lord and their tiresome efforts to master singing it.