EC Choir Falls into harmony

By Nathan Calhoon, News Editor

In just under a month, El Camino’s choir ensembles are scheduled to perform their first concert of the school year in the Performing Arts Center on October 12 at seven p.m.

Titled Autumn Leaves, the concert will host both of EC’s Choirs and will also share the stage with the Arden Middle School Choir as well. The three groups will perform a combined total of fourteen songs that all fall under an Autumn and Halloween theme.

In order to prepare for this event, Choir Director David Vanderbout has been busy getting his students re-familiarized with choir once again after a long summer break. 

To do this, Vanderbout strongly believes in growing the connections between the students in choir in hopes of getting the choir to feel more like a family. By doing this, the students in choir will feel more comfortable among each other and feel less pressure to perform.

“Public speaking is the number one or number two fear of most people, and I think that goes for singing too,” Vanderbout said. “Once our students are [comfortable] then we can do all the musical and singing—it can go pretty quick.”

Choir President Carson Russell (‘23) has been singing in the EC Choir since his freshman year and is aware of the importance of family that’s present in the choirs.

“We’re much more connected up there on stage—if we’re all feeling that same emotion, it conveys it to the audience much better,” Russell said. “It helps release the nerves that they know [that] we’re all in this together.”

This connection isn’t something that comes easily, however, it’s something that takes time and lots of planning. Choir Council is in charge of reaching out to new members and planning all social events that are necessary for this connection to grow.

Although at first this kind of emphasis on social interaction in choir may be uncomfortable and foreign for many new students, it’s something that will greatly benefit them through learning new social skills and making lasting friendships, along with aiding the performances of the choirs.