The Raymond E. Hartfield Performing Arts Center (PAC) was buzzing with current and future students for the Westwood Learning Community Choir Concert on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The performance featured current students as well as elementary and middle schools in Westwood’s feeder pattern to encourage a sense of community between the programs.

The concert featured performances by the Varsity Choir and Chamber Choir, as well as choirs from Anderson Mill Elementary School, Canyon Creek Elementary School, Caraway Elementary School, Laurel Mountain Elementary School, Purple Sage Elementary School, Spicewood Elementary School, Canyon Vista Middle School, and Grisham Middle School. While the choirs each performed their own songs, they also collaborated together for certain songs,  including Babethandaza, by Victor C. Johnson, which featured all of the choirs from elementary to high school.

“My favorite part about singing with the elementary schools is that they’re really cute, and they sound adorable when they sing,” Elsa Hughes ‘20 said. “It’s really good to bond with other schools that are going to be in our school one day.”

For students, the most important part of the night was interacting with the students from other schools and encouraging them to stick with choir throughout their schooling in RRISD.

“I really like to see all of the young elementary school students,” Juhie Gurpur ‘18 said. “It’s so cool to think that when they grow up, there’s a chance that they could be us and they could be in a varsity or Chamber Choir and they could be singing Jamaican Noel. If they decide to continue with choir, they could be up on stage and be the big kids.”

The choir program hosts a Learning Community Concert annually, and it’s the only time that students are  encouraged to interact with the future students of the choir program and sing with the elementary and middle schoolers.

“When we did the last [combined] song, the energy level was ten times the energy level they had when rehearsing,” Head Director Andre Clark said. “It gives the kids something that’s audibly tangible, which you can’t really touch sound, but the music does go inside and kind of touch them in a different way. It’s not just listening to a recording at that point, it’s become something they can see themselves doing. They’re our future. If we don’t build it up, we don’t have a choir program.”