Gallery • 5 Photos

Combined Fifth graders performing "Home"

Campus choir groups partnered with youth vocalists from Camino Pablo, Rheem, and Los Perales Elementary Schools, and Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School for a concert in the performing arts center on March 28.  One of the purposes of the event was to promote the Campolindo vocal music program.

“I think it’s mostly to recruit people for the next generation of choir, and get people interested in the program, and also to mix the grade levels,” said senior Chamber Choir member Christina Ungermann. “It’s generally pretty insulated, like people just sing with people their age, but being able to show the different programs and what they do gets people more interested in continuing to sing.”

Choral teacher Mark Roberts said that while coordinating last year’s concert was made difficult due to the resignation of the elementary choir teacher mid-year, the new teacher, Zachary Barbieri, has “made a big difference.”

“So, they found Zach this year, and I think he’s doing a good job, and obviously starting something that’s his own,” Roberts added.

5th graders joined in on the opening numbers during the show, “Home” by Phillip Phillips, and “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” by Dolly Parton.

In addition to the live performances, Roberts had intended to show a video about the Campolindo choral program.  However, technical difficulties were encountered. “It was just an issue with the communication from the computer to the projector, unfortunately,” said Roberts.

Senior Choir member Frenel Francisco made the video, and Roberts “felt bad that he put that work in it, and it didn’t get to be played.”

Roberts has since played the video during his classes, and said that he’ll “obviously send it to the middle school teachers so they can show it to the kids, too.”

Choir members from Joaquin Moraga Middle school sang “She Sings” by Amy F. Bernon and “Duond Akuru,” which is a Kenyan phrase for “the voice of the dove,” by Rollo Dilworth. They ended with pop song “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night, which included 3 solos and a dance routine.

Junior vocalist Max Younger said, “I thought it was interesting to see the development through the years, especially with the middle school.”

The Bel Canto choir sang “Koudjay,” arranged by Sydney Guillaume, with Haitian rhythms, and was followed by Chamber singers performing “I Know I’ve Been Changed,” arranged by Damon Dandrige.

Campolindo Choirs also performed “Let My Love Be Heard” arranged by Jake Runestad, and African song “Indodana” arranged by Michael Barrett.

“I think it’s important for the parents to see [their kids performing] because the bottom line is a lot of times parents decide what classes kids are going to take or not, especially early in high school,” said Roberts. “So, it’s important that the parents see the program, especially parents of students who aren’t yet in, and they think: ‘Oh, God, this is something I want my kid to be a part of!’ Sometimes they [students] get overloaded with academic classes, and they don’t take an elective like Choir or Journalism, or whatever. I think that they [elective classes] present different or unique ways of looking at similar ways of training the brain, and, or academic study.”