The Voices of Joshua choir are a group of talented students who sing with a passion. These singers are open to constructive criticism and willing to improve. In choir, the students gain proficiency in sight-reading sheet music and their vocal skills.
A few events the choir performs at are their: Fall Concert, All-State Competition (Individual), Navy Ball, Winter Concert, Pre-UIL Concert and the Spring Concert.
The directors are consistently working hard to make their already talented students even better. They also care for their students and are dedicated to seeing their singers succeed.
“The Choir organization is a mix of groups of students who use their voices as instruments and are experienced in singing,” Choir Director Mr. Wilson said. “The choir classes are hardworking, extremely talented and a fun, loving group to be around. They strive for excellence in everything that they do and they are up for any challenge we give them.”
Wilson is widely experienced in music; he has learned different styles of music and worked in a variety of musical genres. He is a UT Arlington graduate, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and has taught several age levels. He has directed church choirs, taught private lessons and knows how to play a handful of instruments. He has been a public educator for nearly 20 years now.
“[We are the] best kept secret in Joshua ISD. The choir is the highly acclaimed model of choral excellence in our area,” Choir Director Ms. Hamilton said. “We are starting to be recognized for the hard work and dedication we put into our program. Now that we are building a name for ourselves, our students are being recognized for their high achievements. We keep pushing ourselves to new heights, and will continue to keep this momentum going.”
Hamilton competed in Texas All State Choir during her high school years. She has earned an undergraduate degree in Music Education and has experience from being in multiple choir groups. Under both Hamilton’s and Wilson’s direction, the choral ensembles are recognized for receiving Sweepstakes from their “Excellent” ratings for their Choirs at UIL in recent years.
“The choir directors make the choir a place where students are allowed to express themselves effusively while doing something that they love,” junior Natalie Duffin said. “They are the most respectful and thoughtful teachers I have ever met; they go above and beyond to make their students feel welcome and appreciated.”
The directors have made each of their choirs a comfortable place for their students.
“In the choir room there’s room for mistakes so that you can be prepared for the real thing,” junior Emmaleigh Lewis said. “Everyone supports and helps each other to achieve the same goal: that our concerts are a professional and enjoyable experience for everybody.”
All-state is a series of competitions where choir students compete with other choir students for a chance to be in a top choir. They get placed in one of three choir groups; mixed (boys and girls), tenor bass (boys), or treble (girls). For each of Texas’ eight areas, there are four regional competitions. In each round singers have to prepare three pieces of songs and sight-read. Fewer people get to advance every competition. Before round three, there is a regional concert where singers sing each of the All-State songs with everyone that made it up to round three. In the last round, four of the regions are combined.
“Julia Peña and I advanced to Round four. This means we are one step closer to competing with the top choirs in the state which is a huge accomplishment,” choir vice-president Hunter Frisina said. “As a result, it just gets harder with each competition to come, but throughout the rigorous auditions and hard work seeing success makes it all worth it.”
The students of choir have yet to make it to All-State Choir, but with their continuous work ethic, they are increasing their chances every year. Every member comes together and treats each other as family.
“Choir is more than just the music; it’s a welcoming community where everyone expresses genuine warmth and friendliness to one another,” senior Jaxon Dial said. “It is the people who make choir a truly harmonious place.”
Instagram: @jhschoir.mp3
Facebook: Joshua High School Choir
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Website: https://sites.google.com/joshuaisd.org/jhs-choir/home