On Feb. 2, Niles North held its annual Choral Festival to highlight the hard work of the department’s current students, and introduce the new faces from the feeder middle schools. 

Individual pieces were sung by Niles North, East Prairie, McCracken and Old Orchard choirs. Students celebrated their love for singing, and middle school students got a taste of what a high school environment is like. Last year, North hosted only one participating middle school, McCracken. The event last year was a success and helped North’s choir department gain several new students this school year, many coming from McCracken. Niles North was ecstatic to host not just one, but three schools this year.

 “For the incoming freshman, I’m excited for them to meet the choir members here at Niles North. For the past couple of years, choir has been a lot different because of the pandemic, so having them be here to perform, sing, and hang out with us, will be the thing to get them excited about becoming part of the program here,” North choir director Andrew Dahan said. 

“I think at any high school, creating connections with younger students is vital for future involvement. If we don’t get them excited, then what reason do they have to be here? Singing can be scary and extremely personal, but with this concert, if they can see the community they have here, people who love what they do, then that might inspire them to join us,” Dahan said.

Michelle Bandura is a senior who has been involved in the choir program since her freshman year. “I would love to see more engagement and more students joining the choir,” Bandura said.“Due to Covid, we couldn’t promote the program as much as we wanted to, so I’m hoping that our community will grow next year. If you love to sing and you’re passionate about music, you won’t regret joining choir.”

The Choral Festival has shown year after year to be one of the most effective ways of recruitment outside of school besides Curriculum and Activities night. Actions speak louder than words, and live music can be just the thing to make younger students excited about their future at North, as well as all the opportunities choir has to offer them.

The North choir department is always looking for new voices, so if you’re a current student who has a passion for singing, or are just looking to try something new, talk to your counselor about joining choir! Contact anddah@d219 if you have any questions.