The seniors of the choir program made their final farewells at the Spring Concert on Tuesday, May 3 at Hope Presbyterian Church. The music performed was from the group’s UIL competition in April, and capped the end of Mr. Andre Clark and Mrs. Jennifer Alexander’s first successful year as the choir directors.

Mr. Clark has put a new and larger emphasis on the importance of tradition and, as an ongoing one, the Chamber Choir sang And So It Goes to send off those who will be graduating this spring. Choir members know this as a bittersweet moment that marks the time for the leaving seniors to go on a do bigger and better things, and for them to carry on the legacy and memories of choir with them in one last song.

“It was a weird out-of-body experience because I [was] sitting there with the rest of Chamber Choir watching the freshman girls and I remember being them,” Choir President Alexis Lemus ‘18 said. “And so singing a song like And So It Goes and that being the last time I’m singing The Lord Bless You and Keep You, it feels kind of unreal.”

Of all the choir members, the senior class saw three teams of directors come into their program and make changes. The leadership issues were hard for students because there wasn’t any consistency or time to make valuable connections with their directors, but they are confident that the current directors will be sticking around for a long time.

“You need something constant because every director has their own style which has been very apparent from Mr. A to Ms. Coogle to Mr. Clark,” Parthavi Matalia ‘18 said.

Most seniors, especially those in Chamber Choir, have been in choir since middle school, but there are some, like Ali Mohsin ‘18, who became part of choir very late in their high school career. Mohsin came into the class with no knowledge of how to read music and now, at the end of the year, has performed solos at pep rallies, the choir senior recital, and Warrior Fest.  

“The first day was rough because everyone started singing and I had no idea what was going on, but [as] days progressed I learned with them. Things got better and I started loving everyone,” Mohsin said. “I might do extracurriculars in college related to music so choir has helped me achieve that and overall it’s made me confident because I never thought I would be able to perform in front of so many people.”

Both directors came into their positions at the start of the year with a goal of expanding the choir program beyond what it once was and creating a legacy. Mr. Clark has begun entering every group in various competitions and has plans to take more out of city trips in the future. He anticipates a Varsity Women’s group twice its current size and has confirmed the readdition of the Men’s Choir lost at the end of the 2016-2017 school year.

“[In my last interview], I said ‘watch out for Westwood Choir’ because they are going to be the coolest kids here — they already are the coolest kids here, but again watch out for them,” Lemus said. “They are so wickedly smart and talented, and these kids are funny and warm, and I’ve never met people who love as hard as they do and that are just as committed to what they love as they are. I hope that it grows and it grows and that people see how much heart and spirit is here.”