GLASTONBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — Middle schoolers spend this month “marching” to a beat and singing their way to the competition stage.
“We were just singing a song called Praise His Holy Name,” eighth grader Grady Schatz said.
Grady Schatz and more than 100 of his fellow eighth graders are in tune together, enjoying every moment on the auditorium stage.
“We just have little classes and then we get to come together and have this big, fun expressive group,” Grady said.
The eighth-grade chorus at Smith Middle School in Glastonbury is where students earn class credit and take it out of the auditorium onto a regional competition stage.
“The competition gives us that extra edge to motivate us to keep going. And put in those extra hours to be exceptional,” choral director Kate Ingram said.
If you’re impressed it should come as no surprise this group has been competing for about 12 years. So far, they’re undefeated.
“We are undefeated. We compete against schools from Connecticut but also New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and we go for that title of top overall choir,” Ingram said.
What’s even more impressive is nobody has to try out for this one, any student who wants to sing can join.
“This is an open chorus so anyone can come and join this chorus. We have all abilities, all levels, all different students.” Ingram said. “My philosophy is if we could have the whole school in the group we would want that. So we’re constantly saying go get your friends and bring them in here.”
They practice separately in classes and bring it together like this when it’s time to take it to the next level.
“It’s so cool because you spend all this time practicing in school and then you get to see how it all comes together in this beautiful cathedral…and how the vowels and tones of singing echoes off the walls. It’s very beautiful,” eighth grader Victoria Luzi said.
An experience that takes these students well beyond their middle school auditorium and classrooms.