(Photo by: Jasmine Mills)

Do you love to sing? Did you know that JCCC has its very own choir program? 

There are two choir classes that you can take at JCCC, and the cool thing about them is that you don’t have to be a music major to be in them. 

“So one of the lucky things about this school is that all my students are not music majors, and you can take music theory here even if you’re not a music major, which is not true at most schools. So I have a lot of people who just want to learn and are interested,” Director of Choral Activities and Vocal Arts, Terri Teal said. 

Teal’s job is to work with the two choirs, plan the literature, schedule the programs and lead them in the rehearsals. 

“We discuss lots of different things, from [a] musical standpoint and from [a] textual standpoint, because choral music uses words, unlike most instrumental music. We’re always very closely connected to how the music is expressive of the text, which is sometimes very specific and sometimes more generalized,” Teal said. 

Typically, the choir program does two performances a semester, with one typically the week before winter break and the week before finals week. These performances are in the evening and are open to the public. 

“I usually tend to have some kind of theme. Sometimes it’s pretty loose, sometimes it’s not. All the music is working towards that thing, but I’m also trying to make other educational goals as well,” Teal said. “We dress up a little bit and try to present ourselves at our best, and then present the music for our audience, but also for ourselves, coming to that fruition, and preparing things, and then being able to pull it around to a close.” 

This semester, most of the chamber choir is joining with the group performing the Neil Diamond pieces at the Nerman. 

“So we got those charts, and we’re learning that as well. And we’re gonna do that on April 24. All my kids, except the ones in Urinetown, in the theater department, will be working on that,” Teal said. 

In previous semesters, the choirs have performed in the community with other groups who are putting on major productions. The smaller choir has performed for community meetings and the retiree program. 

“I think at the end of this semester, we’re gonna just go around and sing at different places on the campus and see what we can do, just to make ourselves more well-known. I think not everybody even knows we have these choirs, you know?” Teal said. 

There are two choir classes that you can take, and both require an audition to make it into the class. The first is the chamber choir. 

“The chamber choir usually has people [who] come from good high school choir programs. They sort of know the drill,” Teal said. “That’s my larger choir, and it goes anywhere from 20 to, I think, my highest semesters have been almost 40.”

The next is a smaller choir that is usually a double quartet. 

“Those kids, those are some of my best students, and they get the opportunity to really become part-independent and do some things that are suited for smaller groups that aren’t as well suited for larger groups. They’re the ones I can take traveling the most, ’cause it’s just easier to arrange,” Teal said. 

Music major Madeline Mahoney is in both choir classes.

“I wanted to gain more experience and get connected with people around the school,” Mahoney said. “It’s a very uplifting environment. Everybody is so kind, and it’s a great way to get connected to people around the college.”

Mahoney explained that Teal picks the literature at the beginning of the semester, and that’s what they focus on for each of their performances. 

“I think my favorite part is the different literature that we sing. It’s very fun and challenging, and Dr. Teal always picks out the best songs to perform,” Mahoney said. 

Teal says that every student who joins the choir program is very different from the other students, but she tries to make sure that she is creating a culture where everyone can learn to be professional and have fun. 

“It’s almost like that old adage of, you work hard, but if you’re doing something you love, it doesn’t seem like work. It seems more like play. And I think, you know, that’s what I want. I do want them to learn to be professional. I want them to learn how to be disciplined,” Teal said. “And I think one of the great things about choir, especially in this day and age, is that it is a place where there’s community.” 

Teal’s groups learn to have a sense of community, making sure they are learning and communicating with each other. Her students come from so many different backgrounds, but they’ve all come together and become friends. 

“I want us to have that sense of community that’s geared towards ourselves, but that’s also geared towards understanding that the sum of the parts; the whole is bigger, and we want to be in service of making the music, honoring the music as much as we can,” Teal said. “I think they have the same goals. I think people want to be good at what they do. And these kids work hard.”