By: Juliet Giangregorio '20
Hello everyone, and happy Super Tuesday! Since we don’t have school today, I thought I’d take this time to tell you all about something new the A Cappella groups did for Valentine’s Day, even though it’s now March and I think I’ve eaten all of my Valentine’s Day candy by this point. If you’ve watched To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You which came out on Netflix a couple of weeks ago, you probably saw the scene where the school’s A Cappella group went around to unsuspecting victims to sing love songs sent by other students. That’s exactly what we did this year! Organized by Ms. Rescott (a queen) and the Class of ‘22 Officers, singing grams started being sold during the lunches about a week or so before Valentine’s Day. Students (and staff) were able to choose from a variety of different songs, and could pay a couple of extra dollars to have candy sent to the person they wanted to woo (or embarrass). Ingrid Sound sang Electric Love, Just The Way You Are, I Want It That Way, and Unwritten. Falconize sang Youth, My Girl, I Want It That Way, and Perfect. Altogether, it was a pretty successful event, and the Class of ‘22 was able to raise a lot of money from it! Personally, I really enjoyed this experience. It felt really good to see teachers’ faces light up when we told them we were here to sing, or see the students get excited knowing they were going to have a brief break from class. There were some kinks that need to be worked out, since this was the first time, but I hope the groups continue to do it. I can’t wait to see how it expands in the future!
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By: Juliet Giangregorio '20 Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great summer! I know starting a new school year can be scary, and a little sad (I’m a senior this year, so my feelings are all over the place), but whether you’re going into your first, second, third, or last year of high school, it’s going to be a great year. How do I know this? Well other than our school musical being The Addams Family (how iconic is that?) we have a really cool, exciting change to the chorus room that’s available for everyone to use, whether you do chorus, or just want to stop in for a minute to relax. You may have already heard, but if you haven’t, I’ll explain. Last year, seniors Kali Sheppard, Beck Ritter-Theriault, and Hannah Kelsey created a space in the corner of the chorus room (called the Chorus Corner) for students based on the concept of social and emotional learning. What’s social and emotional learning, you may ask? According to www.casel.org, “Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.” The five core competencies of SEL, which are promoted by the Chorus Corner are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. You can learn more about SEL and the core values from the posters hung up on the windows around the Chorus Corner. The Chorus Corner is equipped with comfortable chairs, desks to do homework at, a charging station, coloring pages, games, cute plants, and even a television screen and stereo that students can connect their chromebook to in order to watch videos from YouTube. The guidelines for the corner are pretty simple. As long as you are respectful of the area, respectful of the people inside the area (and outside the area, meaning to be inclusive of everyone), aren’t disrupting anyone’s class time, and if you return the Chorus Corner to its original state after you’re done with it, you are free to use it. And the great thing is, anyone can use it. The Chorus Corner isn’t just meant for chorus kids. Whether you need to get some homework done, you want to hang out with some friends, or you just want to relax and watch videos, the Chorus Corner is available for you to use (just remember to be respectful!). So don’t be afraid to stop in (as long as it’s not interrupting any class time) and relax! The three recently graduated seniors really worked hard to create a comfortable space for all students to use. The Chorus Corner is an amazing addition to our chorus room, and I’m so excited for everyone to get the opportunity to use it! By: Juliet Giangregorio '20
I say it every time, but it’s funny how fast this year went by. It feels like the Fall Jam just happened yesterday, and now the Spring Sing has just passed. It’s amazing to see how much Ingrid Sound, Falconize, and Deception have grown over the year. With new members, new songs, and new goals, the A Cappella groups never fail to impress. Deception opened the concert with their rendition of “You Make Me Feel So Young”, sung by Frank Sinatra. I was totally excited to hear this song because I LOVE Frank Sinatra (I’m obsessed with 1950s music because of the show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which is amazing and I recommend that everyone watch it- but that’s besides the point). This piece was arranged by Mike Mahoney, who did a great job with A Cappella-izing the song without losing touch with it’s swing roots. Next, Falconize came on stage and opened with their original group-written song, called Chasing Tides. I knew that Falconize was playing around with student-written songs, and I was interested to know how the process was going. I didn’t know what to expect. But, when they came on stage and began to sing, I was shocked. This song was so powerful and so meaningful that I started crying a little bit at the end. No joke. It was that good. Kali Sheppard had the featured solo, but it was clear that the whole group was just as invested when performing the song. I think that because all of the members played a part in writing the song, it was more meaningful to them. Falconize will be singing Chasing Tides at Festival Disney, a music festival for middle school through high school at Walt Disney World, on Friday, May 3rd! Along with Chasing Tides, Falconize sang Anna Sun, which they sang and won with at N.E. Voices earlier this year. They also sang their beautiful rendition of “Imagine”, by John Lennon. For this song, they put their microphones away, and gathered in a group at the front of the stage. After that, they sang “Take On Me” by A-ha, which is a favorite of all Falconize fans. After Falconize left the stage, Ingrid Sound came on, and opened with “Suburbia”, by Troye Sivan, and “Alaska”, by Maggie Rogers, both songs being part of their ICHSA competition set. Then, they sang “See You Again”, originally by Charlie Puth. This song was a new addition to Ingrid’s repertoire, unlike “Girl Put Your Records On”, their next song, which they sang earlier this year at the Fall Jam. The majority of Ingrid Sound’s songs were arranged by senior Ivy O’Connell. Falconize entered the stage again, this time with another original song, “Masterpiece”, written by senior Hannah Kelsey. They’ll be performing “Masterpiece” at Festival Disney as well. Next, they sang “Innocent”, originally by Taylor Swift. They also sang this song as part of their set at N.E. Voices. Their last two songs were “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, by Tears for Fears, which they added to their set this year, and “You Give Love A Bad Name”, by Bon Jovi, which has been a repeating part of Falconize’s repertoire. After Falconize exited for the second time, Ingrid Sound came back on. They started back up with a new addition to their set, “Half the Man” by Rozzi Crane. I had never heard this song before, but loved hearing Ingrid Sing it. They created such a strong, powerful sound that really wowed the audience. This song sounded amazing with the balance of their other songs, which were more dulcet and mellow. Next, Ingrid Sound sang “Castle On A Hill”, originally by Ed Sheeran, and “Wings”, originally by Little Mix, which they sang when they competed at ICHSA. I always enjoy hearing the A Cappella groups sing, and I can’t wait to see how they grow and change throughout the next year! By: Juliet Giangregorio '20
In January, I had the opportunity to go to the NE Voices Festival to watch Falconize perform. It took a little bit of bartering with my mother, who had wanted me to stay home and babysit my younger sister, but in the end it was so worth it. I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to an A Cappella competition before this one, so it was a totally new experience for me. After school on Friday, the members of Falconize, Ingrid Sound, and I took a bus to Chelmsford High School. When we first arrived at the school, we were lead into a private room to hang out and prepare for the actual competition. While Falconize went into the auditorium for their soundcheck, the rest of us played an extremely intense game of Twister. Later, we all headed down to the cafeteria, where we ate pizza for dinner. This was all fun, but the real excitement didn’t start until around 6:45, when we went down to the auditorium and waited for the competition to begin. The auditorium was filled with people. I love watching performances, so I couldn’t wait for it to start. The moment the first group started singing, I had chills. You could tell how much effort each group had put into every aspect of their set, from the songs to the choreography. The energy in the auditorium was amazing. Everyone (or at least I) was enjoying the music, cheering and clapping like crazy after each group performed. I couldn’t hold myself back from dancing in my seat. Falconize was the second to last group to perform. Even though they performed so late at night, they brought an amazing energy to the stage and totally nailed the performance with their songs Anna Sun, featuring a solo by Jared Casey, Innocent, featuring Kali Sheppard, and Carry On, featuring Em Baracewiz. While we waited for the judges to pick the three winning groups, a professional group called BLACKLIGHT entertained the audience with a mix of arrangements of popular songs, and a few original songs. Everyone from the audience came down to stand right in front of the stage, and while we were all dancing and enjoying the music, I heard so many people from competing A Cappella groups complimenting others’ performances, voices, outfits, and energy. Even though they were competing against each other, they still made a point to lift each other up. It was also interesting to see what each group did differently. I’ve really only watched local A Cappella groups, like the ones from our school, and the ones who make a special appearance during A Cappella Night, so I’m not that experienced in the world of A Cappella. But this performance literally made my jaw drop. There was literally not a single moment of this experience where I was bored. I was so amazed by how everything came together, and how smoothly each group’s performance went. If any of the performers were nervous, you couldn’t tell. Everyone acted so professionally, and it was really amazing to watch. So, if you ever get the chance to watch any type of A Cappella performance, you just have to take it. I swear that you won’t be disappointed! Congratulations to Falconize on their amazing (but not surprising) win at NE Voices! Also, congratulations to The Thursdays, from Chelmsford High School, and Northern Lights, from Plymouth North High School for being the other two winning groups! By: Juliet Giangregorio '20
I can’t even begin to count the amount of times I hear “I’m so excited for A Cappella Night!” a year. I think that it’s definitely most students’ favorite part of the year, including mine. If you don’t know what A Cappella Night is, I’ll explain. Every January, the Mixed Chorus, Danvers High School A Cappella groups, and guest groups, like the Northshoremen- a barbershop chorus from Beverly, perform their own A Cappella versions of songs at a huge concert - A Cappella Night. For me, the most stressful part of chorus is choosing the songs for A Cappella Night. Some time at the beginning of the year (this year, it was the end of September) every student enrolled in a chorus class has the opportunity to suggest a song they want to sing at A Cappella Night. We listen to a minute of each song, and then we individually vote on three of our favorites. Next, when each class has a top three chosen by the vote of the majority, we vote again on two songs, which end up becoming our A Cappella Night songs. Think of it like The Great British Baking Show, or Survivor. Obviously, it isn’t as intense - unless your song makes it to the top three choices for your class. Then, you have to cross your fingers and hope it makes it through the final round, when all the top three songs from each class are put together, and two songs are voted on for the final selection. If your song doesn’t make it to the top, then it isn’t the end of the world. And if you despise the two songs that are chosen, trust me when I say they’ll grow on you. This year, the two songs that made it through all three rounds were… Green Light by Lorde, and I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys! After we finally decide on our A Cappella Night songs, we move on to the bittersweet selection of our graduation song. Every year when the seniors graduate, the entire chorus sings an arrangement of a song to send them on their way. This process is the same as A Cappella Night, except only the seniors get to vote during the final round of songs. During the selection process, we choose songs that have a theme of coming of age, moving on, and following a new path. This year, after a close competition, the graduation song for the 2019 class is… Walking in the Wind, by One Direction! You can catch the DHS Mixed Chorus singing these songs at A Cappella Night on January 19th, and graduation on June 8th. By: Juliet Giangregorio Courtesy of The Flying Onion
Our a cappella groups kicked off their 2018-2019 year with a fantastic performance last Thursday night at the annual Fall Jam. Deception, Falconize and Ingrid Sound, along with special guest group Hawks-in-Harmony from Holten Richmond Middle School, amazed the audience with their student-arranged selections of contemporary pop songs. The night began with a performance by Deception, DHS’s six person a capella group, who sang their own arrangement of the song “Impossible”. This song featured solos performed by Kali Sheppard and Megan Moriarty. “Impossible” can be found in their album Structure, which can be purchased on iTunes. After their impressive performance, Hawks and Harmony blew the audience away with their rendition of “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele. Next up was Falconize, who took center stage singing their versions of “Take On Me,” originally by A-Ha, with soloist Em Baracewicz, “Human,” by The Killers, with a solo by Kali Sheppard, and “Halo”, by Beyoncé, with soloist Kailee Rees. Falconize, the co-ed a cappella group, was invited to perform at the inaugural International A Cappella Festival in Pamplona, Spain this coming up April. They are almost halfway to reaching their goal of raising $35,000, which will enable them to make this trip. The a cappella groups have been invited to travel a lot recently, including Ingrid Sound’s trip to Memphis, Tennessee for the National A Cappella Convention two years ago. Ingrid Sound, so named after singer songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, took the stage next with their arrangement of “She’s So Gone” from the Disney Channel Original Movie Lemonade Mouth, with soloist Megan Moriarty. Next, they sang “Put Your Records on” by Corinne Bailey Rae, and “Castle,” by Halsey, which is a new addition to their set this year. Both of the songs featured solos by Lily Albiero, a first year member of Ingrid Sound. Following that, Falconize returned to the stage with “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” by Tears for Fears, a new addition to their regular set. It featured a solo from Michael Mahoney, who is also the pitch pipe for Falconize, and is a second-year member of Deception. Falconize then sang “Boston,” by Augustana with soloist Hannah Kelsey, who is a member of Deception as well. Lastly, Em Baracewicz took the stage with another crowd-wowing solo in Falconize’s arrangement of “Carry On,” originally by Fun. Then, Falconize left the stage and Ingrid Sound came back on, wrapping up the night with their versions of “Unconditionally,” by Katy Perry, featuring soloist Megan Moriarty, and “Castle on the Hill,” by Ed Sheeran, with soloist Allie Kasprzak. If you missed the Fall Jam, don’t worry. There will be plenty of other opportunities to see Deception, Falconize, and Ingrid Sound perform this year, including A Cappella Night in January, and the Spring Sing this spring. By: Juliet Giangregorio '20
As some of you may know and some of you may not know, our chorus has its very own executive committee (CEC). Each year, two members from each chorus class are elected by the students in their class, and specific members from the A Cappella groups, such as the presidents and music directors, are appointed by Mr. Grover. Congratulations to the new members of this year’s Chorus Executive Committee! Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting in on the committee’s first meeting. And let me tell you, it was a lot different than I expected. When I walked into the chorus room, the first thing I noticed was a table set up with a chair for each member - professional, right? Each member also had two pieces of paper in front of them- one discussing the agenda for the night, and another relaying the rules of the committee. The goal of the Chorus Executive Committee, from what I witnessed, was to make sure that the chorus stays interesting and united every year. Being in the chorus for three years, I’ve noticed that at times, there can be a lot of separation between the different choral groups and classes because we don’t spend much time all together. However, the committee represents every class, and gives everyone a say in what goes on. The CEC works on planning events to bring every student together. In reality, the only time that all the chorus classes are all together are the two hours before our concerts, A Cappella Night, and the Chorus Awards, which I was supposed to write about but completely forgot over the summer (sorry), but the committee has ideas to change that. In order to sing cohesively, a chorus has to be comfortable with one another. The CEC works to create opportunities for the chorus to be The Chorus, to bond with one another and get to know the people we don’t get to see in our chorus class every day. The committee keeps the chorus interesting. It makes chorus a hobby, and not a burden. Since new members are elected each year, the chorus stays fresh and exciting. New members allow the chorus to grow and change as new students join and older students graduate. The Chorus Executive Committee changes as the students change. It shifts to fit the needs of the students. It keeps the students involved in the chorus. Since the chorus is for the students, it’s the students who help to make it run smoothly. After every meeting, the CEC puts together a newsletter that is read in class the next day in order to keep every students informed about changes and events. I had never realized it before, but without the Chorus Executive Committee, chorus wouldn’t be as fun and exciting as it is now. So, thank you to the members of the Chorus Executive Committee. We’re looking forward to see what you have in store for us this year! By: Juliet Giangregorio '20
Each year, the Danvers High School Select Vocal Ensembles (Chamber Singers and the A Cappella Groups) hold their auditions for new members. Scary, I know. From the outside, the auditions might seem very competitive and intimidating. But, as someone who has auditioned a couple of times, I can assure you that it is not as nerve-wracking as it seems. Actually, it’s quite exciting. The process is simple to audition for the a cappella groups: pick a contemporary pop song you like, and sing a verse and the chorus. Then, Mr. Grover tests your range, and your ability to sing a part of one of the group’s songs. Voilà. That’s it. Mr. Grover also asks some questions about your day at school, your favorite class, or even your hobbies to break the ice and make you feel more comfortable if you’re nervous. Personally, I get very nervous. I always think of the worst thing that could happen, instead of focusing on reality. But, some of my friends have some pretty funny stories about their auditioning experience. Even if you’re like me, and get freaked out about auditions, I promise that you’ll be okay. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get into a group, and every time you audition you gain more experience and confidence. I know that I’ve grown from the first time I’ve auditioned for anything to now. Plus, you’re supposed to do one thing that scares you everyday, right? Here are some auditioning tips:
Congrats to Emily DiStasio, Anissa Knight, Charlotte Larson, Gabby Sherrick, Victor Stiles, and Craig Zorzy for their acceptance into Chamber singers, John Ferriera, Anna Krisko, Amanda Larson, Sam Patterson and Jazmine Wallimann on their acceptance into Falconize, Lily Albiero, Cynthia Boyd, Caitlin Emery, Allison Kasprzak, Haley Murphy and Lilli Peluso on their acceptance into Ingrid Sound, and Ivy O’Connell on her acceptance into Deception! Everyone is so excited to meet the new members of the groups. By Guest Blogger: Emma Quigley '18 from The Flying Onion
On Saturday, February 4th, Falconize swept the floor at the ICHSA (International Championship of High School A Cappella) quarterfinals. They secured first place with 389 points - 93 points ahead of the second place group. This wins Falconize a chance to move on to the ICHSA Northeast Semifinals at Worcester State University on March 11th, along with the other top groups from the quarterfinals in the Northeast. Not to mention, all special awards, some of them being ties, were awarded to Falconize. Senior Siobhan Breen was awarded Outstanding Soloist for “All Too Well,” sophomore Jared Casey was awarded Outstanding Vocal Percussion for the entire set, junior Isabella Burrell was awarded Outstanding Arrangement for the entire set, and Falconize was also awarded Outstanding Choreography. Out of the eight groups that performed, Falconize performed sixth. Many Falconize fans were impatiently waiting to see Falconize blow up the stage. In support of their student singers, Danvers fans came out in full force to cheer on the singers, confident that Falconize would place in the top three, and Falconize did not disappoint. Isabella Burrell, Falconize’s pitch pipe, says she’s “extremely proud of how well” they “came together as a team and showed everyone what we’re made of!” Falconize will work even harder for semifinals, because they will be competing against even better groups. There’s no doubt that they will do well, because Falconize can not be beat! Guest Bloggers: Abby Lantych '17 and Kaitlyn Sullivan '17 from The Flying Onion
Recently, DHS’s Ingrid Sound won the N.E Voices Festival, moving them on to compete in the National A Cappella convention in Memphis, Tennessee. Ingrid Sound is an all-female a cappella group who take their name from singer, Ingrid Michaelson. N.E. Voices Festival requires groups to submit videos in order to be chosen to participate at the festival. Many groups submitted videos, but only eight groups were chosen to compete. The girls competed on Friday night, January 27th, against seven other groups in the Northeast. On Friday night after their performance, it was announced that Ingrid Sound was one of the top three groups. These groups performed an encore performance the following night. After singing the high energy song “The Other Side” by Bruno Mars, one of the directors came out and surprised the group, announcing that Ingrid Sound would be representing N.E Voices in Memphis, Tennessee in April for the National A Cappella Convention. Similar to N.E Voices, The National A Cappella Convention is a competition where groups submit videos, in hopes of being selected to perform. However, the convention is in Tennessee. This is the first time where N.E Voices has had the opportunity to send the winning group to compete in Tennessee. This is a very big accomplishment for Ingrid Sound because they are the only group in the Northeast competing. Director Alex Grover proudly commented, “This year Ingrid Sound is committed and focused, and the group's enthusiasm for their music and performances is at such a high level. Every member's passion shined through at the N.E. Voices competition and the group truly earned the accomplishment of the top score.” Ingrid Sound has also competed in the annual Salem Pitch Trials last May and Haunted Harmonies in October, placing first in both of those competitions as well. For the next couple of months, Ingrid Sound will be focusing on fundraising for the trip and practicing their set. We wish Ingrid Sound all the best as they are preparing their trip to Memphis! |