Concert Choir

For a moment you feel like you have escaped the ordinary and the everyday. This is what an audience of Urbana High School’s Concert Choir would experience if they have been to one of the choir’s performances. With a great attitude, hard work, energy and enough enthusiasm, concert choir students really showcased their talents in singing very well. Not only do these choir students have to perform and show their singing talents to a whole crowd of people whether it may be in school or not, but these young men and young women sing their hearts out also and gives their all during their performances. The choir have had a variety of activities that they have been on so far this year. These include seeing Adam’s Family in Chicago on November 18th, they had an exchange at Columbia College, and they went touring during the holiday season around Champaign-Urbana performing holiday songs. They also performed in the Winter Assembly this school year, and just had a winter concert this December 15th.

“Holiday season is our busiest,” says UHS’s concert choir adviser, Angelica Franklin. “It is wonderful watching the students perform at the winter assembly and concerts. It takes a lot of courage to sing in front of the whole school.” She also said that the students in the choir program are ambassadors of the school by performing at several community functions like the Urbana Business Association, Urbana Exchange Club, Community performance of the Messiah and much more.

As the choir adviser, she says that the best part in developing students’ talents is watching them grow in their solo singing abilities.

“I really enjoy working with Vocal Chords Required. All of the students are serious about performing and want to sound good. It’s always fun to work in a group where everyone shares the same vision,” Franklin says.

However, being the adviser of the school’s choir program can also be hard at times. “It’s always difficult when talented singers graduate, but the students really step up to the plate year after year never leaving the program in bad shape,” says Franklin. If she has any advice to her choir students, she says, “It’s very difficult to major in vocal performance. You can always be paid to sing if you’re good enough.”

Franklin wishes to take her concert choir students to a contest in the spring. When she was asked about what she loves most about her choir students, she says, “The students in choir come from so many diverse backgrounds. My classes look so different from other classes offered at UHS.” Also, when she was asked as to what the best part of being the school’s choir adviser is, she simply says, “I have the best students in the whole school!”