Written by Anna Opalsky
Last Sunday, the Villa Musica community filled the recital hall, eager to see what Villa Musica’s three voice group classes had been preparing over the recent Winter Quarter. Featuring the youth singers of La Ti Do, Glee Club, and Show Choir, the performance was not only lively, but it also illustrated the progression of voice classes at the Villa.
The recital began with La Ti Do, an ensemble of kids ages 5 to 7, consisting of Amethyst, Eliana, Joaquin, Manon, and Roshelle. The little ones sang the traditional folk classic “She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” and “How Far I’ll Go” from the Disney film Moana. The two songs highlighted skills like matching pitch, maintaining a steady rhythm, and memorizing lyrics. Aria, Caroline, Ellie, Emily, Emm, Sloan, Sydney, Viviana and Yena in our Glee Club, ages 8 to 10, followed with two songs that built on the skills learned in La Ti Do, with more advanced melodies. First, they sang the “Scales and Arpeggios” song from Aristocats, which not only conveyed their technique, but also taught their audience about how to sing on pitch. They closed their performance with “golden hour” by pop singer JVKE, a wistful melody that was a fan favorite in the room. “They did a really great job of learning the words and trying to stay in key, [which] was probably the hardest part of that one,” said Jade Popper Loveless, who instructs all three groups.
Show Choir, ages 11 to 14, featured Abby, Erica, Millie, Molly, Reese, and Zoe. They ended the recital by continuing the Disney music trifecta with “Tale as Old as Time” from Beauty and the Beast as well as “Solla Sollew” from Seussical the Musical. “I really wanted them to open up their voices and get to know that singing is just talking on pitch and just doing the best that you can to project your voice,” Mrs. Popper said.
Along with their voice performances, each group added movement to their pieces. La Ti Do and Glee Club both kept steady beats, tapping the ground or clapping to show the audience the importance of rhythm. Glee Club illustrated “golden hour” with flowing movements that mimicked the song’s lyrics, which Popper said is a memorization strategy. Lastly, Show Choir utilized the stage during their performances, spinning around each other and changing formation in a dance that highlighted the musical performance aspect of their pieces. All of the dances were choreographed by Villa Musica student Imogen Weirmeir.
Registration is currently open for the Spring Quarter of all three voice group classes – Show Choir begins April 8th, La Ti Do begins April 16th, and Glee Club begins April 16th.
We also have a week-long Glee Summer Camp taking place in July.
Upcoming Villa Musica Events:
March 31 – Young Students Recital for Elementary & Middle Schoolers
7pm, Villa Musica Recital Hall (Sign up at Front Desk)
April 7 – Teen Student Recital for High Schoolers (hosted by our Youth Council)
6:30pm, Villa Musica Recital Hall (Sign up at Front Desk)
May 21 – Villa Musica Chamber Players ‘Virtuosic Explorations’ Concert
2:30pm, St. Andrew’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church