There are several classes and after school clubs that students are encouraged to join in to explore what they’re passionate about. For some, their passion lies with music and the arts; whether it’s singing, dancing or acting. At SWHS, the school provides a significant amount of opportunities for these kids to perform and show their talents.

One of these group (which I’m in as well) is Understaffed, which is an all-boys choir, which features some of the best male vocalists in the school. They perform in three shows throughout the year, as well as perform outside of school for special occasions.

One question that tends to get asked is how to do you join? Well it’s easy. Every year, choral director Mr. Martineau, holds auditions around late September early October. You learn one piece of music that Martineau will assign to you a couple weeks prior, and you will be responsible for learning two parts based on your vocal range. For some, they had to learn the parts of bass and baritone, because that is where some voice are most comfortable.

From a commitment standpoint, Understaffed only has one rehearsal per week, from 6:30-8 p.m. One member from Understaffed, Will Harper, says, “Basically rehearsals are pretty low key. We go and warm up and then sing through the songs stopping each time we mess up. But we all support each other and really don’t care when we mess up, because we know that’s just how we get better.”

Another common thing the singers hear is that someone may want to audition, but don’t know if they should do it. Will Harper also has a message for those people out there, “I would tell them that they should definitely do it because we are all supporting and want people to get better as performers.” Understaffed member, Joe Cantin, says to the people on the fence about joining, “Go for it!!!” says Joe, “The best thing to do is relax because you will feel at home with the crew. It is completely worth it.”

While Understaffed is a great group, there are other clubs for passionate singers such as choral spectrum, treble choir, and concert choir; each of which have their own unique style and mix of group members.