An update from Junior, Caroline Hunter
As someone who has sung in Carnegie Hall, the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Eastern Division Conference, and countless nursing homes, I can honestly say that this is the most insane year I’ve ever had as a student in the choral program at Nazareth Area High School.
The choir and class, Nightingales, has always been focused on not only singing great repertoire but also traveling to nursing homes such as Gracedale, Moravian Hall Square and Alexandria Manor in Nazareth. Our goal is to sing for people who could use a smile; or “Spread Joy Through Music'', as Mrs. Rocchi likes to say.
Nightingales' rehearsals have always been a place filled with hugs and holding hands, but now, we cannot do that. At the beginning of the year, I was saddened by the thought of not being able to do what Nazareth Chorus has always done. Some of my best memories are from delivering Jingle Grams to students while wearing obnoxiously ugly Christmas sweaters with NoteWorthy or singing ‘Amazing Grace’ next to Mrs. Rocchi as tears ran down her face. She's quite emotional if you didn't know!
What can we substitute those unforgettable connections with? As I write this nostalgic blog post on October 15th, I can honestly say we’re working tirelessly to figure out just that. Earlier this week, the Nightingales had their first Zoom-performance with residents in the Skilled Nursing unit at Moravian Hall Square. Each of us placed our phones on music stands so residents could see us individually as we sang through the Zoom. We presented about 30 minutes of music and are looking forward to doing this again soon! Concert Choir will experience this as well in the near future.
The Nightingales will be heading back to Carnegie Hall but not until January of 2022. We will remain working hard this year to hone our talents....and Mrs. Rocchi has even added in some different things to our rehearsals -- like yoga!
Nazareth Chorus will not be drowned, we are simply building a bridge.
Cantus and NoteWorthy, smaller select choirs at the high school, are back up and running again as well. Rehearsals take place mostly outdoors with masks and we're thankful for the beautiful fall weather!
A few videos to share...
The Nightingales have been split up by their last names in order to fit the Hybrid Learning model. First up is Group 1 - this has students in it with last names A - K.
