Raising the bar at All State Choir
Rocky Heights Middle School (RHMS) Principal Chris Cooke was super excited to share the news that the school has 22 students (the highest of all DCSD schools) who qualified for All State Choir.
“Mr. [Zachariah] Smith, the choir teacher, is incredible and the impact he continues to have on our choir program and the kids he works with is simply amazing,” said Chris.
Zachariah has been teaching at RHMS for three years. “I want a space for the kids to have a community. So many kids in middle school feel adrift and end up finding their space in choir,” he said.
Why so successful this year? Zachariah said Rocky Heights has a big choral community.
“We spend a lot of time in the fall building fundamental skills like sight singing (when you have to sing music without ever hearing it) and learning the basics of good singing,” added Zachariah.
One student could not help but share her excitement, “I feel honored because there was a large selection of kids who auditioned, and the fact that they picked me means a lot. When I saw the email, it was an out-of-body experience for me because I had tried to get in before and wasn’t able to.”
The students will gather February 8 to work with conductors at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Friday, February 9, they will perform the All-State Concert at the Bellco Theatre at 7 p.m.
By Karen Leigh
