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xi. rehearsals

CHOIR REHEARSALS WERE always a hassle for the Meadowbrook High Advanced Mixed Chorus. It was a chilly, early December day, meaning that the choir were two weeks down to their winter performance. The clock was ticking against their will, so after-school rehearsals were always productive — probably more productive than regular class times during the school day. The choir didn't waste any precious time and Dr. Terry cut no slack for anyone.

That's how productive choir rehearsals were, especially as the days got closer to their big day.

"Let's take it from the top," Dr. Terry announced as she took a seat at the baby grand piano at the side of the stage. She flipped through her sheet music until she rested her hands on the keys. "Stage crew is currently repairing the speaker system, so for now, I'll play the piano part of Mary Did You Know."

The choir quickly dove into their assigned places for the specific song on the singing platform before the teacher gently played the introduction part of the song. As it graciously continued, the females hummed out the main chorus as the males followed, providing a solid base sound. When the full introduction concluded, Alexander stepped up to the lone microphone which sat on a stand many inches away from the singing platform. For this song, he had a solo, which was to sing a verse as the rest of the chorus hummed accordingly.

But instead of starting to sing his solo, Dr. Terry stopped playing the piano and stood up from her chair. "Okay, let's stop right there for a second," she intervened. "Instead of keeping you, Alexander, on the singing platform, you can stay in the front by the microphone for the entire song, including the introduction to save a little time."

Alexander's head shook up and down in agreement. "Yes, ma'am."

"But other than that, we're off to a great start," Dr. Terry took a seat again. "Let's pick up from where we left off. Ready when you are, Alexander."

The boy began to sing his heart out of the solo as he looked directly at the empty auditorium ahead of him. Only a few seats were filled, but that was all for the stage crew, who would technically have to stay there until practice was over to fix the audio system. But other than that, the seats were empty. There weren't many eyes looking at him, but he still sang his part graciously. It wasn't weak, but it wasn't with too much expression either. It was exactly how the solo was supposed to be, which made Dr. Terry highly impressed.

When his solo concluded, the female section of the choir began to hum a harmony, which the males followed. They all sounded angelic and holy. All the other songs they sang that semester were nothing like this. Alexander particularly enjoyed these kinds of songs, especially when the choir did extremely well on them. It made them sound more like professionals, not amateur high schoolers who just wanted to complete their credit in Fine Arts.

When all the echoing was over, it was time for the choir to actually sing the song. The main chorus was beautifully sung by the choir as a whole. From his front-view, Alexander could see the stage crew's eyes open wide, as some took out their phones to record.

Even though the entire choir was singing, Alexander's solo still wasn't over. His part now involved him sort of echoing the rest of the choir. But as the main chorus started to die out because of dynamics, it was soon Alexander's turn to take over again. He sang the very last verse of the song, quietly, yet boldly. His eyes fluttered shut as he sang the very last word as he took a deep exhale.

The choir earned a generous clap from the stage crew, which were below and all around the stage, dealing with sound issues and everything in between. Dr. Terry also complimented her choir with a wide smile. "Amazing job, everyone. Especially on the dynamics — I'm so impressed," she mused. "And Alexander — phenomenal job on the solo."