The acappella singing group known as the Harmonics faced an uncertain future midway through this
year as a result of county budget cuts and changes to class offerings at NH. However, the group will be
back again featuring freshman Douglas Barker, sophomores Trinity Testerman, Luisa Freimuth, Emily
Johnson, Brayden McCartin, Conor O’Callaghan, freshman Gabrielle Spencer, and junior Delany
Flickinger, Njideka Onyekwere, Max Henkel.
The group is directed by Angela Jones, and although she isn’t directly on stage with the group, she
helps behind the scenes with the music theory according to Henkel.
The students get a better understanding of acapella in the classroom. The group will pick a song that
they enjoy, and then learn the structure according to Henkel. All of this helps arrange that song for
acapella which Henkel feels is so much fun to do.
“It’s just extremely fun to be around everyone and to sing together as a group,” Barker exclaimed.
Others agree like senior Emily Richardson who said she is “grateful that this group can still sing to
others.” She describes Harmonics as “just a big family; we joke around and we’re serious about our
music.” The group recently performed in the spring concert with sings like “Video Killed the Radio
Star” and a mashup of various pop songs.
The Harmonics also perform in school events, but they are sing in events hosted in the community.
This includes performances at Mason Dixon, where they also work in the kitchen and they “help serve
food and make food,” said Henkel.
Each year, performers are required to try out. Henkel explained that’s the stakes were higher this
year with the students needing to be able to not only sing the song but beat box and be able to read
sight reading. Testerman agreed that “it was difficult for some parts” because of the level of skill
required.
Testerman sees this all-vocal group as a chance to “take [her] singing to the next level.” Both Henkel
and Testerman have seen the Harmonics since they were little and look up to them. Henkel even
explained the importance of music and fine arts. He mentioned that “without the arts there is nothing
to live for.”