By Olivia Folmar / Guest Columnist

If you walk into the Shelby County High School band room at 8 a.m. in the morning, you won’t find band students tuning their instruments. You’ll find kids of all ages and appearances forming a double-arc formation with their chairs, pulling out their folders, and moving the piano to the center of the room. It’s time for choir.

Choir is one of the best-kept secrets at Shelby County High School. Many students assume all choir students do is sit around and sing songs. A lot of students sign up for choir thinking it’s a “bird course” – an easy A, but nothing could be farther from the truth. As choir president, I think I would know.

Very few people are aware of the world of opportunity behind those band room doors. All students at Shelby County can audition for the Show Choir, choir students can be chosen for Honor Choir (which is held at the University of Alabama in January) and for Alabama All-State Choir (held at Samford University in March). There are also several competitions the SCHS Chamber Choir compete in including District Festival and, provided that the scores there are good, State Festival.

This year, however, these things are not top priority for the SCHS choir members. This year, they are headed to New York City to perform in Carnegie Hall with the rest of the members of the National Youth Choir under the direction of Andr/ Thomas. While in NYC, the choir will see a Broadway production and take tours around the city.

Most people think that all choir does is sing the Star-Spangled Banner at graduation and put on two concerts a year. Choir is much more than that – choir is a family. If I had not been a part of choir every year, I seriously think I would not be the person that I am today. I wouldn’t have most of the friends I have and I wouldn’t be as outgoing as I am.

Don’t laugh at choir or at anything that you’ve never tried before, for that matter. Try something new. You may find that it’s where you’ve belonged all along.

Olivia Folmar is a senior at Shelby County High School.