November 7, 2001
Program something to sing about
Cherry Capital Chorus tuned into needs of school choirs
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
To help revive classic American songs from "Oh! Susanna" to "America the Beautiful" to "Home on the Range," the Cherry Capital Chorus has partnered with 32 area elementary schools to get kids singing.
The second year of the Get Northern Michigan Singing Again program kicked off publicly this week as students from Silver Lake and Glenn Loomis gave a concert at the City Opera House. Fourth, fifth and sixth grade students joined the Cherry Capital Chorus on stage to reprise standard American tunes.
Nine more concerts are scheduled throughout the school year featuring students from other schools with the Cherry Capital Chorus. In all, the program will put hundreds of kids onstage for a taste of the limelight.
Students at 32 schools have been rehearsing their songs since the year began, using 1,500 song books donated by the Cherry Capital Chorus last year to participating schools. While they do not learn the four-part harmony that is the trademark of barbershop singing, they learn the basics of singing in unison and the joy of participating in a choir.
Some singers enjoyed the songs and performances so much last year that they are singing again this year.
"I love singing so I like this program," said Alisa Wilcoxen, a fifth-grade student at Glenn Loomis Elementary School in her second year with the program. "I sing every Sunday in church, too."
The choice of songs drew Brooke Rodes back into the group this year.
"I like the songs and I love to sing," said the sixth-grade student at Glenn Loomis Elementary School.
Janine Winkler, a fifth-grade teacher at Immaculate Conception Middle School and co-director of the school's choir, found that the classic American songs strike a chord with students, in light of the recent terrorist attacks and subsequent war. She said they sing these songs with a depth of feeling now that might not have been present before.
"The students all love music and singing, but especially now the patriotic music seems to have a soul, a special feeling for them," Winkler said.
Music teachers at participating schools see another benefit to the Get Northern Michigan Singing Again program - getting and keeping boys in choir.
"It's really very nice that we have the male singers, because most of our music teachers of the elementary school age are females," said Darcy Schlitt, music teacher at Silver Lake and Traverse Heights Elementary schools. "This is a good opportunity for all the boys to see the men singing."
The coolness of singing is apparent to some boys in the Get America Singing program at Glenn Loomis Elementary School.
"I think it is cool for guys to be singing," said Ben Wittbrodt, a sixth-grade student who also sang with the program last year.
Of course, Glenn Loomis' music teacher, Anita Carlson, has a secret weapon at her command: school volunteer Bill Weitschat. Weitschat is a member of the Cherry Capital Chorus and has sung for the students numerous times. A full-time volunteer, Weitschat is well-loved by all at the school, a winning combination in her mind.
"Because Bill sings, singing is cool to the boys," said Carlson, who had more than 20 students singing in Tuesday night's concert.
Schlitt's classes participated in the program last year and she had a dozen kids singing in Tuesday night's concert. She said the new songs and enthusiasm from the Get Northern Michigan Singing Again have given her music program a real boost.
"The program has given us a new focus because the Cherry Capital Chorus has provided us with new books," Schlitt noted. "We have not had new books in ages, since I've been here."