Losing choral magic to efficiency

This past year has taught us that the words “COVID-19” and “extracurriculars” don’t exactly go hand in hand. This is certainly the case for the choir and Vocal Ensemble. From rehearsing in a room full of loud teenagers to being in a quiet room at home, the change in atmosphere is undeniably immense. But, is it only a change for the worse, or did some positives emerge as well?

Pre-pandemic, all members of the choir and the Vocal Ensemble would meet twice a week, for nearly two hours. Every rehearsal contributed to the preparation for the concerts at the end of each semester— and this has not changed. Concerts are scheduled to happen no matter what, and alterations to meet COVID-19 precautions will be made if necessary. However, the process of reaching that point has changed entirely.

If you have ever sung in a Google Meet with even just three people, you know that what comes out of the computer is a cacophony of robotic pitches. Therefore, our dream of harmonizing perfectly and maintaining the magical feel we were so used to having was an unrealistic, distant thought. This tragic realization led to the choir breaking up into their vocal parts: soprano 1, soprano 2, and alto, but in turn, this allowed the groups to rotate having rehearsals with Ms. Horn, either in the choir room or over Google Meet (depending on whether we are in school or e-learning). 

Even though the Vocal Ensemble could rehearse together in the choir room or online (because of their smaller size), they were unable to maintain the same practice schedule when e-learning, as they have early morning rehearsals every Friday at 7:30 a.m. Arranging a Google Meet at this time in the morning is unideal, especially for most of the students, who wake up right before class starts. Therefore, an alternative had to be introduced. This alternative would have also worked for the choir groups when they did not have rehearsals with Ms. Horn.

The system that replaced the rehearsals was a website called BetterPracticeApp. Singers can find full instructions, including links to warm-up videos and recordings of our own, and other voice parts so that we can have an idea of what it is like to sing with others. Oh, and I forgot to mention— it’s timed. The counter goes off the second you click on the task for the day and will stop as soon as you rate how the practice went. For most of us, this keeps us from slacking off, keeping us fully engaged in the rehearsal, especially because Ms. Horn occasionally asks for recordings, which she will listen to, and provide feedback.

Now, what about the in-person rehearsals? Nothing can replace the interaction among other grades that took place pre-COVID-19, especially as we were all within 10 centimeters of each other. Our physical distance also caused one major problem in the choir: singers find it harder to sing. Despite being held accountable for our at-home rehearsals, the distance between each of us makes it difficult to hear each other, making us feel like we are each assigned a solo whenever we sing together.

As frustrating as all of this may seem, there is a perk of going online: practices seem more efficient. Whereas pre-COVID-19, we sat through rehearsal while hearing other sections practice their parts, when we are online, we do not. We are simply responsible for our own parts and can spend less time than a regular rehearsal to be comfortable with them. 

But with this efficiency, we lost the true essence of singing in a group. Despite all the efforts that have been put in place to keep working towards the concerts at the end of each semester, it is difficult to feel the immense drive that used to be present within us, knowing that we were all working towards a goal, especially when rehearsing by ourselves. For the seniors, especially, this is a tough pill to swallow, as the expectations they held close to them throughout the years haven’t been entirely fulfilled.

Overall, we all miss the magic that takes place when after hours of hard work, all singers gather in the choir room and finally reach that perfect harmony.