Hollis Brookline High School (HBHS) is excited to announce its new cohesive faculty-student choir, which is open to anyone. The choir has had an amazing start to the year as they just recently performed at Guitar Night on Dec. 13. The faculty-student choir is run by a multitude of faculty members, such as Lin Illingworth, who was one of the people who introduced the faculty-student choir to the HBHS community; Savannah Duquette, who originally sparked the idea for Illingworth when she invited her to sing at a piano dedication last year; and, lastly, Matthew Barbosa, who is the choir director.
Some of the goals for the faculty-student choir are inclusivity to all and making a community out of something new. “Being a part of the choir puts on something very special, and that sense of inclusion and community is really important to me. We could start a tradition here. This would be really cool. And also I believe that as a society anything we do to remind community is really important and it’s what brings people together,” said Illingworth.
The choir already has nine faculty members and hopes to continue to grow as the year goes on. They perform at the bi-annual Guitar Nights and practice about two days a week. “It’s also fun to do stuff to collaborate with students. And we can all come up with some product together, that’s really fun,” said teacher and faculty member of the choir Matthew Portu.
The choir is open to anyone who is interested in being a part of something bigger for the HBHS community. Not only is it an inclusive and cohesive club, but it is also a way to get closer with other staff members and learn to come out of your shell a little.
The faculty-student choir is also a great way for people who are in the Honors Choir to practice their vocals and become more comfortable with performing in front of others. The choir is a comfortable place where people are encouraged to communicate with their vocals and to sing when they can’t find the right words to say.
Overall, the faculty-student choir is a great way for students and teachers to interact with one another outside of school and work boundaries. Even if you don’t sing, it is still encouraged that you join the faculty-student choir and become a part of something bigger than yourself!
