By Lizmary Ortiz

It’s no secret that here at Rush, we have a yearly tradition surrounding Choir 3 & 4’s Christmas song. Every winter, our choir enters the 101.1 More FM Christmas Choir competition. This year, they performed the holiday song “Someday at Christmas” by Stevie Wonder. The choir secured their spot as semifinalists in the contest, but still feel that they have ultimately won.

For the the first time, our choir as been chosen to perform at the School District of Philadelphia, alongside the choirs from the Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP) and the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA). The performance is scheduled to take place on Thursday, December 21st from 11 am to 12 pm. At the event, our choir is set to sing “O Lux Beatissima,” “Someday at Christmas,” and one of their upcoming songs for the Winter Vocal Showcase, “Redbone.”

However, the performance holds a much bigger significance for the choir. All of the songs they have sung thus far this year have deeper meanings for each of the singers. The song “Redbone” by Childish Gambino was actually an improvisation that the students decided to turn into a full performance. One choir student explained that they identified with the song because the idea of ‘being aware’ is such a prominent topic in the city of Philadelphia. “You have to stay aware, everywhere,” she stated. “You have to know what’s going on in your community.” The students agreed that the song represented their beliefs, thus why they chose to perform it.

The students in the choir have a great influence over what songs they’re given to perform. Ms. Spencer takes into consideration their personality and charisma when selecting the songs they are to sing. The choir’s distinct character is manifested through their track-list, such as this year’s Christmas song.

The vocal majors in Choir 3 & 4 commented that they wanted to take a more political approach to Christmas, instead of going for the iconic Mariah Carey tracks. The students wanted to perform a song that they believed would represent the true meaning of Christmas: unity. The choir explained that they interpreted the song as a call for kindness in the world. “The song touches on political subjects, which is good because you need to draw attention to those things,” one choir student explained. “The real meaning of Christmas is the idea of harmony, which is just like our choir.”

The choir incorporated these principles of warmth and union into every aspect of their performance, even its very structure! It turns out that there were more solos included in this year’s Christmas song, as Ms. Spencer wanted it to be comprised of a more diverse range of voices. The idea of class representation is crucial to the choir.

A few of the students from Choir 3 & 4 expressed how they give themselves to the music they perform, and how all they wish for is an opportunity to share their music with their community.  Their teacher, Ms. Spencer, endeavors for their success. She strives to get them exposure by entering them into competitions and public events. The students value this aspiration, and express that through their constant hard work in the classroom.

The biggest takeaway that the choir is gaining from the 101.1 More FM Christmas Choir competition is that there are greater feats than winning a title. What really mattered was being strong as a family, not simply winning a contest. The choir’s musical talents are not to be disproven, as for the same, they’ve been given the honor of performing the national anthem at a Phillies game in the upcoming year. As one of choir students stated, “We’re strong in what we do. Our heart is music and family, not just competitions.”