If you feel like Choir means just standing up and singing all block, you’d be wrong. FCHS Choir teacher Sara Harkrader says it is much more involved and interactive than students might expect.

“[Choir] is so much more than singing songs. You are learning to read music, build harmonies, perform, better yourself… and also take care of a spiritual health that may not be fed in other classes by singing in a group,” said Harkrader.

Harkrader said she tries her best to make the classroom as interactive as possible, using a variety of methods to enhance her students’ vocals. Since she says that being in Choir is a team effort, so she also uses activities to help enhance bonding and the ability to work together.

“We do theory classwork, listen to other choirs, and music reading. Then we do a lot of physical and vocal warm-ups which are very dynamic and fun to get us ready to sing,” Harkrader said. “Then we work on songs for any upcoming performances. I try to do some bonding and team building too, since Choir is like a big team. I’ve been trying to do more games and movements this year. We also work in groups, where the kids take more ownership over learning their music,” she added.

Harkrader searches for many alternative ways to create more exposure for all her classes, including collaborating with other teachers. One example in the fall was when she collaborated with Rosa Lee Fry’s Digital Art classes by having her Piano students write music inspired by their digital artwork.

As for Choir, Harkrader said she tries to “make things we do visible around the school with posters and segments on In the Know.” She continued, “I also have an Instagram account @flucosingers where I document what we are up to. We also try to get out into the community and sing to kids and senior citizens. I try to do a fundraiser concert with a popular theme, like love songs, Disney songs, or songs from movies– things the general public are familiar with.”

Harkder said she draws on her own school experience, as she was always involved with singing and music.

“Throughout school, I was always in choir, taking piano lessons, taking voice lessons, and performing in concerts and musicals. It’s just who I am and I never considered doing anything else as I grew into an adult and went to college,” said Harkrader. “As a professional, it has become more of my ‘job’, but the passion still runs deep and I can’t imagine doing anything else. I love my students, so sharing music-making with them is what I am called to do. We can tell beautiful stories through choir, and there is nothing like singing with a group –nothing that is comparable at all–so getting to show that to kids is really special and a really important part of my life,” she said.

Harkrader encourages students who love singing and music to give her class a try. “You will learn so much about being a better musician by doing choir, and so many famous performers started in groups like the ones we have. We do a lot of fun performances and trips and we make beautiful music, but I think we have fun and laugh a lot too,” she said.