A Winter Fest!

“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole from heaven to the soul.” -Anonymous

YLHS Choir

Photo Courtesy of ylhs.org

Salvador Martinez, Photojournalist

‘Tis the season! The voices of winter are here! The YLHS Concert Choir and Vocal Ensemble are bringing the voice of YLHS into this winter season! Last Tuesday and Thursday (Nov. 29th & 30th), the YLHS Choirs had their Winter Festival at Valencia High School in Placentia. The talented Mustang Singers took the stage and let their talents shine with dignity! Yorba Linda High School is blessed to have the voices of talented youth who practice vocalization and musicality.

 

The Combined Choirs are composed up of approximately 45 talented students, with Ms. Carol Gilfoy being their vocal instructor. The YLHS Choirs took a lot of their time and effort to make the light of their voices shine. On the night of the Winter Festival, the first 90 front row seats of the performance stage were full! The Combined Choirs performed the songs: Bethlehem Skies, We Wish You the Merriest, Silent Night, Sing We Now of Christmas, The Blessing and Hallelujah. It took them a lot of work, but with strength and determination, they were able to take on the Winter Festival.

 

The beauty of this art is not just about singing what’s on the paper, it’s about singing from your heart. According to scientific studies, doing vocal practices or practicing singing is good for your health.  Singing creates musical vibrations that move through the air, altering physical and emotional landscape. Group singing, for those who have done it, is the most exhilarating and transformative of all. It takes something incredibly intimate, a sound that begins from deep inside, shares it with a roomful of people and it comes back as something even more thrilling: harmony and glory. It is not surprising that group singing is on the rise. In Accordance to Chorus America, 32.5 million adults sing in choirs, up by almost 10 million over the past six years. Vocalization helps in developing more mental abilities and help open the mind in finding more activities fun. It even helps to build confidence, which is what everyone needs. Jade Low (9), one of Mustang Singers says “It’s just really fun and I really enjoy it, a lot!”

 

Many people today in our society today are not involved in any extra-circular activities; joining choir is highly recommended. Sarah Ruggles (10) says “I’ve been doing a lot of things that are stressful, it seems that choir is an enjoyable art and looks fun! Maybe in the future I’ll take a peek into music.”