As GHS Students get ready to immerse themselves in the school’s musical world once again, this year has brought about some new and returning outlets for young musicians: Jazz Band and the newly established Pop Choir. Both of these ensembles bring fresh ideas for both students and teachers alike, and have already made quite the impact!
Pop Choir has begun to take its course, with practices starting up within the last few weeks. Being the first year of Pop Choir, it poses as a new experience for both students and staff. “The students are going to choose the songs they want, I’ll find arrangements of these songs, and then we’ll rehearse them,” said Ms. Streich, the Choir director for the high school who also teaches middle-school music education. “I’ll be here to support, but the students are basically running the show.”
Pop Choir has taken the place of Jazz Choir, “I think students are always singing these songs nowadays,” said Ms. Streich. “It’s a good outlet for students to get together in a community to sing these songs. It’s more appealing to kids rather than concert choir or jazz choir-pop is much more approachable to students.”
Students have also been excited for pop choir since the concept was introduced. “When I heard it was going to be pop related, I thought ‘Wow, that’s gonna be really fun!’” said Isabella Haugh ‘28. The new aspects that pop choir brings have drawn people to it who are excited about the concepts.
“I’m really looking forward to arranging a piece in the spring and singing familiar Christmas songs this winter,” said Liliana Asta ‘26. Even though pop choir hasn’t been around for too long, some students are already thinking about what the future could hold for the event. “I’m hoping that more people join in the future so we can expand on what we can do, as well as the experience of getting to know new people through the events and music,” said Kane Trujillo ‘27.
Conversely, Jazz Band has been a staple of instrumental ensembles in the music department, often taking place in the band room up to an hour before school starts. However, in a post-Covid age where sleep deprivation remains as a rising trend among students, changes have been on the horizon.
“I spend half of my day doing homework,” Liliana Asta ‘26 remarked: “therefore, I go to sleep late and am forced to wake up early for Jazz Band.” Like Asta, many members of the Jazz Band share similar concerns regarding the unfortunate timing of practices in the morning. Therefore, instrumentalists in the band chose last week in the kickoff rehearsal to forgo Tuesday rehearsals in the ‘25-’26 season, leaving the group with one weekly rehearsal every Thursday morning.
Historically, the Jazz Band has rehearsed on every B-Day, examining specific techniques while playing over a mix of contemporary, pop, and traditional jazz pieces that they will then perform at the upcoming Winter Concert on December 11. “I feel great about rehearsing once per week,” says Ms. Smith, the new band director hailing from Shullsburg, Wisconsin and taking on a plethora of ensembles in her debut year, including the Jazz Band. “Our first performance isn’t until December, so we don’t necessarily need this much workload right now. And we all need the extra sleep.”
While Pop Choir gets its start and Jazz Band goes under its change in leadership, the futures of both seem hopeful in the changing era and school environment, where more students—whether they’ve been in ensembles before or are just starting—will get a chance to show their skills. As the year goes on, they’ll continue to grow and perform versatile arrangements for the music lovers of Galena.
