On Friday April 28, Peabody Veterans Memorial High School’s (PVMHS) Choir from Peabody, Massachusetts (about 15 miles north of Boston) took their stop in Pylesville during their road trip down the coast. Upon their arrival, they joined NH Choir students in the choir room for warm-ups, preparing to perform on stage for each other. “We learned some new warm-ups and new ways to look at vocal techniques,” shares senior Keirra Baltimore.
Being the hosts of the event, Chamber Choir performed first singing their two Choral Assessment Songs, “Goodnight Dear Heart” by Dan Forrest and “If Music Be the Food of Love” by David Dickau. Second, the Peabody Choir performed singing “A Boy and A Girl” by Eric Whitacre and “Ezekiel Saw de Wheel” arranged by William Dawson. “They did a really good job at blending together as a group,” says senior Melanie Hemling. Next, PVMHS’s small a cappella group performed the Pentatonix arrangement of “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit. They finished their performance with the Full House theme song since they’re known as home of the tanners, like the family’s last name in the TV show. This is also why the small acapella group calls themselves “Full House.” Harmonics performed next singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, A Michael Jackson Medley, and “Stressed Out” by Twenty One PIlots. To wrap up the day, NH Choir shared a simple African Folk Song, “Tink of Me”, with the Peabody Choir that they could easily learn and sing it together. Their visit proved how although the two groups of teenagers have very different lifestyles, it can be easy to relate through singing.
Once the performances were finished, the two choirs were able to talk. “I liked it when the one guy from Boston took out my guitar and started playing me one of his songs that he wrote,” remarks senior Max Ploughman.   The visit from PVMHS was impactful one according to students, “You get an outside sort of source of new techniques and ideas and it’s just nice to take a moment to enjoy someone else’s music,” comments junior Aaron Rogers. Similarly, Ploughman adds, “it gives you a perspective on where your choir is and where other choirs are and how you can grow to be better.