Have you ever wondered what High schools do to spread Christmas cheer to the community? The Kearns High Choir program loves to spread the holiday spirit near and far to all who want to hear it! Many of those who have been in the Granite district since Elementary school may remember the assembly with the fun silly singers from the Madrigals, but they also may not know that the performances go much further than elementary school performances.
Mrs. Julie Duncan, the Kearns High choir Director, explained her experience with the Christmas season. She said, “It is my favorite time of the year. I love finding new and unique Christmas songs and arrangements for my choirs to sing. After the fall musical ends, I can relax and focus on the Christmas season. I never feel too stressed about the season until the first week of December, when the season is about to start. The season is stressful for me and my advanced choir students. When we have performances six days a week, sometimes more than one performance in a day. It’s difficult to balance teaching my classes, having lesson plans for my other students, spending time with my family, and all other personal responsibilities, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!” Mrs. Duncan has been the choir director of Kearns High for almost 10 years. She has experienced many Christmas seasons. Her favorite memories from performing for the communities and elementary schools. She said, “There’s no way I could choose one specific memory, but my favorite tradition is singing the 12 Days of Christmas at every performance we do. You’d think after singing it around 30 times every year for 10 years the songs could get boring, but they never do. I allow my students to make it their own with the jokes and actions they do in the song. They’re all so different and fun that it never sounds like the same song twice. The reactions from the different audiences are almost as good as the performance itself. Each audience reacts differently to each of the jokes, and they all laugh and enjoy different parts from each other; it’s always a fun experience.”
Many people from the choir program shared their favorite memories surrounding the Christmas season. First, Lila Ashby said, “My favorite memory is getting to spend time with my friends and getting to explore Temple Square as a large group and getting to sing all of the songs with everyone and feeling like I’m a big part of the community.” Also, James Loubet said. “Exploring City Creek and Temple Square with my friends and the choir members was memorable for me. I have many amazing memories with friends and getting to perform in the Tabernacle with our small choir. I will remember these events for many years to come.” These students made a big impact on them for their enjoyment and spreading their cheer for the holiday season. There are so many different and positive experiences within the choir community and the Kearns community.
The choir’s main performance is on December 11th at 7 p.m. in the Kearns High auditorium. This concert is our most popular performance of the school year and will include many Christmas favorites by all of our groups. To name a few, there will be two renditions of 12 Days of Christmas, Mary Did You Know, Winter Wonderland, and so much more performed! Not only do you get to hear all of these beautiful or even silly songs performed by our choirs, but we also have songs dedicated to singing with the community where everyone in the audience gets to sing with us and spread the cheer even further! There is also a raffle that everyone is welcome to participate in for fun baskets provided by the choirs to fundraise for the program to continue to grow and expand.
