“I always thought I was a bad singer. I had limited experience trying to sing in elementary school,” explained Sean Ramsure, a senior, who sang a solo with our all-school chorus in this year’s Winter Arts Evening. “Over time, being in Mr. Claus’s chorus, I refined my singing voice, actually, my voice in general.”
We hear from Mr. Claus, “My first job is to convince students that everyone can sing. Often, something tells them that they can’t.”
Obviously, Waldorf High School’s choral director Chuck Claus can convince even the reticent student to sing. Every student in the school is actively engaged in our all-school chorus and, once again, the performance at the arts evening was spectacular. The program included, “Every Time I Feel the Spirit;” “Be Like the Bird;” “A la Nanita Nana”; and, as is traditional at our Winter Arts evening, “Carol of the Bells.”
Mr. Claus, who is also one of our math and science teachers, goes on to explain, “Just as students sometimes think they can’t do math but they know more than they think they do, the same thing happens in singing. My job is to help them stretch in singing without breaking, without failing. . . .to provide them the confidence that they need as singers until they can take over themselves with self confidence.” Mr. Claus is able to do that, in part, because he is in relationship to them as a teacher in other classes as well.
Mr. Claus listens to each student when they first come to the high school so he knows how to place them and this he does based on their natural voice -- their speaking voice. This helps them begin to feel comfortable in the chorus. “Singing is a natural extension of purposeful breathing.”
More than average time is given to “warm-up” or, really, vocalizing and technique building in the chorus rehearsals. Through this vocalizing, the chorus moves from nearly fifty individual voices to one ensemble with one composite voice at the end of the session. The reward, more than applause and acclaim, is for students to hear the big four-part chord, and with the help of our acoustically friendly rehearsal space (our auditorium!), they can hear the reverberations of that chord.
Mr. Claus chooses the songs and arrangements carefully. “I want students to be impressed with their achievement so the songs and arrangements have to be worthy of them and of their investment in them. For every song, there is a point in the rehearsal when the students hit the “tipping point” -- when they have that self-confidence to sing it. It is always an identifiable day when that happens. Then, we know the song is ready for polishing.”
Mr. Claus also likes to highlight individual talents in the chorus. It may not be just that they are the best, rather how they have grown in confidence. This is the first year that he formed a Chamber Choir at Waldorf High School. This select group is able to take on greater challenge and work on a piece during extra rehearsals, several during their lunch hours. The Chamber Choir sang the Southwestern Christmas Carol, “A la Nanita Nana.”
We are grateful for our all-school chorus, which remarkably accomplishes what they do with a tremendous amount of hard work supported by the talent and great will of our choral director. Bravo!
ouht I was a bad singer. I had limited experience trying to sing in elementary school,” explained Sean Ramsure, a senior, who sang a solo with our all-school chorus in this year’s Winter Arts Evening. “Over time, being in Mr. Claus’s chorus, I refined my singing voice, actually, my voice in general.”
We hear from Mr. Claus, “My first job is to convince students that everyone can sing. Often, something tells them that they can’t.”
Obviously, Waldorf High School’s choral director Chuck Claus can convince even the reticent student to sing. Every student in the school is actively engaged in our all-school chorus and, once again, the performance at the arts evening was spectacular. The program included, “Every Time I Feel the Spirit;” “Be Like the Bird;” “A la Nanita Nana”; and, as is traditional at our Winter Arts evening, “Carol of the Bells.”
Mr. Claus, who is also one of our math and science teachers, goes on to explain, “Just as students sometimes think they can’t do math but they know more than they think they do, the same thing happens in singing. My job is to help them stretch in singing without breaking, without failing. . . .to provide them the confidence that they need as singers until they can take over themselves with self confidence.” Mr. Claus is able to do that, in part, because he is in relationship to them as a teacher in other classes as well.
Mr. Claus listens to each student when they first come to the high school so he knows how to place them and this he does based on their natural voice -- their speaking voice. This helps them begin to feel comfortable in the chorus. “Singing is a natural extension of purposeful breathing.”
More than average time is given to “warm-up” or, really, vocalizing and technique building in the chorus rehearsals. Through this vocalizing, the chorus moves from nearly fifty individual voices to one ensemble with one composite voice at the end of the session. The reward, more than applause and acclaim, is for students to hear the big four-part chord, and with the help of our acoustically friendly rehearsal space (our auditorium!), they can hear the reverberations of that chord.
Mr. Claus chooses the songs and arrangements carefully. “I want students to be impressed with their achievement so the songs and arrangements have to be worthy of them and of their investment in them. For every song, there is a point in the rehearsal when the students hit the “tipping point” -- when they have that self-confidence to sing it. It is always an identifiable day when that happens. Then, we know the song is ready for polishing.”
Mr. Claus also likes to highlight individual talents in the chorus. It may not be just that they are the best, rather how they have grown in confidence. This is the first year that he formed a Chamber Choir at Waldorf High School. This select group is able to take on greater challenge and work on a piece during extra rehearsals, several during their lunch hours. The Chamber Choir sang the Southwestern Christmas Carol, “A la Nanita Nana.”
We are grateful for our all-school chorus, which remarkably accomplishes what they do with a tremendous amount of hard work supported by the talent and great will of our choral director. Bravo!