The beginning mixed choir recently held their end of semester concert on Mar. 11. The choir invited parents, friends and the special needs department to come to Room 147 at noon to showcase what they have learned since beginning the class in January.

After being introduced, the 19-person choir sang a compilation of cultural and audience-favorite songs, such as “In this Ancient House” based on a poem by Emperor Juntoku and “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. Sophomore Mason Foster explains that “there was no need to be nervous” and that his personal experience was nothing short of satisfying.

“There were some areas of the songs that could have been cleaner. But given we only had nine weeks to learn everything, we did really well with what we had,” Foster said.

The majority of the class has never learned how to read music and only four have sung before. Instructor Mary Beth Taylor admits that beginning choir is her choice class to teach, due to the endless possibilities of finding out that someone who started out unable to understand music can actually sing very well.

“Everything I teach is new to a beginning choir. I love showing students who come in saying they can’t sing that they actually can. Seeing a student grow is why beginning choirs are always my favorites,” Taylor said.

Learning a year’s worth of musical instruction is not easy for someone who has never seen a scale before. Foster describes the process as “tedious at times,” but the final product is deemed worth it.

“To get a good product, time, effort and energy has to be put into it. Class can get frustrating when there is not much time to prepare, but the concert is always the best part,” Foster said.

After a concert that posed no evident flaws, Taylor is already planning for semesters to come.

“I want to make my future beginning choirs more technologically rounded, rather than assigning daily worksheets,” Taylor said. “A great ambition of mine is also to have a piano lab, full of pianos and keyboards to teach notes with. It would be more fun and easier for the students to learn.”