You’ve probably heard by now that Doherty has a show choir. You know, the one that sings and dances?

Well, running a choir during a pandemic is no easy task. Doherty’s Choir Director, Mr. Todd Dicamillo, knows that all too well. And when one of them dances too, things can get – and definitely have gotten – pretty dicey.

So, how has our show choir kept its stunning brilliance up during a year where, for its majority, students couldn’t even meet to practice together?

Staying at Home

Ever tried to sing along with a friend on a voice call? Probably didn’t go so well, did it? Getting one person’s voice to another’s ears over the internet takes time, and even a little bit of delay is super disorienting, for any singer.

So now try to play music for a whole choir over the internet, where each person has different internet speeds, and have them all sing together. The result: chaos.

This fact became apparent for Mr. Dicamillo, along with musical directors of both voice and instrument all around the world, very quickly.

“We’ve learned that this is not a performance-friendly type of [year],” as Dicamillo puts it.

In that case, if singing together isn’t an option, and everyone’s stuck at home, how do you run an effective choir?

Well, at first, students sang with their microphones off. In the hopes that a concert would at some point be possible, Dicamillo had students continue to practice their music. After a while, when everyone had learned their pieces at home, and a concert wasn’t anywhere in sight, the choirs tried something unique.

Since Christmas and the season were nearing, each singer learned a piece with their choir, and recorded themselves singing it with a track playing in the background. Mr. Dicamillo had a professional compile the recordings and mix them together, and the result was a sort of virtual choir.

How did it turn out? Given the circumstances, it was pretty good. But its quality isn’t what matters. The choirs, and their teacher, all gave their all, persevering when most choirs simply didn’t do anything, and instead doing what they do best: sing.

Truthfully, this was all the handiwork of Mr. D, whose leaderlike, yet also kind and heartfelt personality inspired the students to sing in a way that was awkward and unusual for them.

Show Choir and COVID

But, even after the perseverance of the choirs for the Christmas Concert, what could Show Choir do?

Normally, this is a choir that performs twice a year, aside from one piece in fall performed with the rest of the advanced choirs. Other than that, Show Choir has a concert during Christmas where they sing multiple songs, but their real work isn’t shown off until the very end of the year.

Yes, they practice the same five songs for the entire year.

Most other choirs could practice their music remotely. In the end, it’s just about singing (though, I should clarify that their remotely singing is still amazing). Show Choir, on the other hand, has to dance as well. That’s troublesome.

The group immediately ruled out remote dancing. It just won’t work, and could never have the same impact as dancing as a group.

“We are like sports in the sense that we have to be together in order to be successful.”

However, an exciting opportunity presented itself just in the nick of time: students would be returning to school on March 10, unless dire circumstances required that they remain home.

Thankfully, the whole of the group was able to meet in person.

What did that mean for the future of this year’s choir?

“We are preparing a piece that we were originally going to do in our set for Show Choir Competition,” Mr. Dicamillo explained. Normally, the show choir performs their set in front of judges and a crowd in a competition-style event, then performs the same set for their peers and families a few weeks later.

“But since it was cancelled, kids have come up with their own choreography and created a dance.”

Because Show Choir hasn’t had anywhere near a year to prepare their full set, they picked one song: “ABC 123” by the Jackson Five. The group wasn’t able to get their choreographer because of the weird and wacky schedules and last-minute changes that the pandemic has brought all year long, so instead, they did what the choirs – especially the show choir – do best: they improvised.

Each member of the choir made their own choreography (a set of dance moves to go along with the music), and taught their peers what to do. Some worked together to chain their parts together and teach each other, and each person, no matter how involved or shy, stepped up to the plate and created something amazing.

D said it best: “I think the performance is going to be great. The kids picked it up really fast, and they’re really good about being in sync and it looks really sharp.”

He’s not lying, either. The performance that this year’s Show Choir has come up with is phenomenal, and you’d never know that students themselves came up with it, which is a testament to the amazing talent that the group has and how resilient that they can be.

“We have bonded a lot during this time; I think that’s been a positive. We’ve worked on our song and I think that’s been the best part about the whole thing.”

Even during a year as trying as this one, the group has remained as close and tight as ever, and they regularly play games and do things as a group to strengthen the tight, almost familial bond they have with each other.

Going forward, Show Choir will continue to thrive and will continue to be an amazing group that really showcases the raw talent and dedication that the Doherty student body can have and does have, and will continue to wow everyone with their stunning performances.

Speaking of which, they have a performance at the school on the 3rd of May, along with the rest of the choirs, where people will be able to see just how much work they’ve put in despite the weight of COVID-19 pressing down on them and their ability to practice together.

Mr. Dicamillo had a few things to say about the choir as a whole, and why it’s an amazing place to be and an amazing place you should be, and I believe they’re better said by nobody but him.

“Show Choir is a lot of fun. We have a great work ethic, and we also have a great environment where people can fail, and it’s okay.

I’ve tried to create an environment where kids feel safe to fail, feel good about giving opinions, being able to give and receive constructive criticism without being offended.

I feel super proud and super pleased with the kids and the type of environment that we have.”

So, there’s a little spotlight on the talent and perseverance that Doherty has, but not a lot of people know about, and a showcase of the people that thrive and do their best even during a time when everyone’s patience and dedication is being tested every single day.