Spring Concert

This year all the choirs are getting together and combining songs they have learned into a big show. It's the big spring concert. Greatest Hits is what it's called. The show includes greatest hits such as Bohemian Rhapsody and Over the Rainbow. These numbers are going to be performed by the Chorale. For months we have been putting hard work in Bohemian Rhapsody. Its going to turn out great. Everyone has worked so hard. There are going to be a lot of 'extra' acts, which means that people who are not in a choir can perform their own piece after auditioning it for the choir director, Ms. Rohwer. Last year they did a caberet. Its going to be very similar to that. After school rehearsals will start soon. Only two and a half weeks until the show. The show is on a Tuesday, May 24th. The funds for the show get donated to Lakeshore's Choirs.

The N'harmonics

The N'harmonics is a local jazz group. They play songs like Fly Me To the Moon by Frank Sinatra and Soul Man by Sam and Dave. The group is originated and directed by Patrick Pjesky, a senior at Lake Michigan Catholic High School. The members include drummer Chris James, trombone player Patrick Pjesky, saxophonist Nicholas Pisarski, bassist Ellen Nightengale, trombone player Jake Range, trumpet player Annie McDougal, saxophonist John Golob, and trumpet player Zach Tuller. Some of the members are classmates, but the rest of them are from different schools from around here. Last year the group was first put together. They first premiered at the Gala Southwest Orchestra on New Years Eve.

Chris James said, "It was a great experience, and hopefully we will have more of those."

Their next "gig" will be at the Southwest Michigan auction in the Benton Harbor Airport. They will practice every week hoping to get better and improve their jazz playing. Jazz is a very hard genre of music to play. There is so much involved and so much music theory behind it; It takes a lot of work to get good at it.

Solo and Ensemble

This week is going to be a tough week for Chorale. Everyday gets harder and harder as we prepare for State this saturday at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ms. Rohwer pushes all of our skills to the limit. Before class we sight read music, which means we take a new piece of music and learn how to sing it in less than five minutes. Its a very hard skill to learn, but after being drilled all year, It has gotten easier and easier for all of us. Part of what we are going to be doing Saturday is sight reading music at an advanced level. There are different levels that each choir will read from, including beginning and intermediate. Advanced is the hardest level. It really shows each of the choirs experiences. The other part that we are going to be doing Saturday, is singing two pieces that we have prepared. A song called Ave Maria and a series of hungarian pieces which count as one song. A couple of the members in chorale are competing as soloists. Nichole Kirksey, Alyson Snyder, Savanah Lentz, and Brittany Millham are all soloists. Come and support your fellow classmates in Grand Rapids. They are going to need all the support they can get. GO LAKESHORE!

Lakeshore Choirs

This last week, February 19th, the Lakeshore High School chorale went to festival and competed with other choirs from around the state at solo and ensemble. The event took place at the Southwestern Michigan College. Each choir performs a series of pieces that they have rehearsed for a panel of judges. The scoring system works like this: a 5 is the lowest score you can get. The highest score is a 1, which is really hard to achieve. In order to get a 1 you must have perfect posture, tonality, tuning/blend, and energy/intensity. The LHS chorale ended up getting a 1 and, if they choose to, they can compete at state along with the other soloists or ensembles that got a 1. This year state will be at Aquinas College, Grand Rapids. I am a member of the LHS chorale and I love it! Everyone who is in the chorale has become like a family to me. And our conductor, Katie Rohwer, is an amazing teacher. I have learned so much in all her classes. She knows exactly what she is talking about when it comes to music. If you are that kind of person who only likes singing in the comfort of their shower, Ms. Rohwer helps you get very comfortable with yourself and your voice and gives you the confidence to sing in front of others. I used to be that shy and nervous person, but now I can sing in front of anyone anywhere. The Lakeshore choir program is something that everyone who likes to sing should join. There are 17 seniors leaving the choirs this year, so we need a lot of recruits. If you are interested you can contact myself, Ms. Rohwer, or anyone else who are part of the choirs.