By Stella Bold
Get into the Christmas spirit with some classic christmas caroling! On December 19, a group of your peers will be performing at both the Quashnet School and KC Coombs school. They will arrive during the school day and will be caroling around to spread a jolly mood for Christmas. The chorus and strings of the school and also the Mashcappellas will be attending.
The Mashcappellas are a group of about six students who meet every Wednesday after school for an hour and a half. As you might have guessed from the name, they sing a cappella. While the chorus and string groups are electives open to most students in the school. The a cappella group is lead by Ms. Keller, who is the chorus teacher of Mashpee Middle-High School, and also the organizer of this event. I got the opportunity to interview her, and here is some of what she had to say.
Get into the Christmas spirit with some classic christmas caroling! On December 19, a group of your peers will be performing at both the Quashnet School and KC Coombs school. They will arrive during the school day and will be caroling around to spread a jolly mood for Christmas. The chorus and strings of the school and also the Mashcappellas will be attending.
The Mashcappellas are a group of about six students who meet every Wednesday after school for an hour and a half. As you might have guessed from the name, they sing a cappella. While the chorus and string groups are electives open to most students in the school. The a cappella group is lead by Ms. Keller, who is the chorus teacher of Mashpee Middle-High School, and also the organizer of this event. I got the opportunity to interview her, and here is some of what she had to say.
Ms. Keller:
Question: How long do the kids have to practice and learn these songs
Ms. Keller: “My after-school groups rehearse for about one and a half hours once a week and the groups that meet during the school day practice every once and awhile during their daily rehearsals. The people doing solos and duets rehearsed everything on their own... and prepared it independently.”
Q: What is your favorite Christmas song?
Ms. K: “My favorite Christmas song, I guess would have to be, ‘Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,’”
SB: “Is there any reason why or is it just a good song?”
Ms. K: “It makes me feel cozy, it has the whole feel of Christmas that I love.”
Q: Is this your first year going Christmas caroling?
Ms. K: “This is the second year we are going Christmas caroling, and we’re going to the same locations as last year, but we have some new people joining us this time.”
Q: What got you into music?
Ms. K: “My family was always musical, so it was always in my home, and I used to play the piano a lot as a little girl, and it was always a big part of my life, which grew into a job later on.”
Q: Was this always your first choice of a job, like teaching music?
Ms. K: “I guess so, I always wanted to be a teacher in some capacity, and then as I got older I just assumed I would be a music teacher, and never really changed my mind!”
Some songs to expect from these cheerful groups are: Winter Wonderland, Deck the Halls, In the Bleak Mid-Winter, We Wish you a Merry Christmas, The First Noel, and Let it Snow. And speaking of songs,
I interviewed a few singers from the Mashcappellas as well, talking about their favorite songs and how long they have been in the after school group. Here is some of what they had to say.
Kaylee McCarthy:
Q: Your favorite christmas song?
KM: “My favorite Christmas song is either, “Wham! Last Christmas,” or “Mariah Carey's All I want for Christmas is You,” because it’s fun to scream. It’s also enjoyable to sing, but it’s fun.”
Q: How long have you been in the Mashcappellas?
KM: “This year actually, haha!”
SB: “This year?”
KM: “Well yeah I mean I couldn’t join until freshmen year, but they changed it for Nicole, because y’know she’s really good.”
Nicole Childs:
Q: Your favorite Christmas song?
NC: “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”
SB: “Why?”
NC: “Because it just brings me into the spirit!”
Q: How long have you been in Chorus?
NC: “Ever since fourth grade.”
SB: “Do you think that’s part of makes you so talented?”
NC: “I think working with Ms. Keller helped the most, Quashnet didn’t really teach me much.”
Brynne Santos:
Q: Your favorite christmas song?
BS: “Oh, that’s a hard question… If I had to choose, um, I would probably say it’s kind of a toss up between “The First Noel,” and “O’come Emmanuel.”
SB: “And is there a reason for that?”
BS: “I don’t really know they’re just very, um.. Slow relaxing, lots of great harmonies… Emmanuel is just, I don’t know… *chills gesture*
Q: How long have you been in the Mashcappellas?
BS: “I have been in the Mashcappellas since my junior year, so that would be, um, about a year and a half. So, it’s a very lovely thing, and people should join!”
So, be ready and be festive for tomorrow! The Mashpee Middle-High School sure will be! See you there.
Question: How long do the kids have to practice and learn these songs
Ms. Keller: “My after-school groups rehearse for about one and a half hours once a week and the groups that meet during the school day practice every once and awhile during their daily rehearsals. The people doing solos and duets rehearsed everything on their own... and prepared it independently.”
Q: What is your favorite Christmas song?
Ms. K: “My favorite Christmas song, I guess would have to be, ‘Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,’”
SB: “Is there any reason why or is it just a good song?”
Ms. K: “It makes me feel cozy, it has the whole feel of Christmas that I love.”
Q: Is this your first year going Christmas caroling?
Ms. K: “This is the second year we are going Christmas caroling, and we’re going to the same locations as last year, but we have some new people joining us this time.”
Q: What got you into music?
Ms. K: “My family was always musical, so it was always in my home, and I used to play the piano a lot as a little girl, and it was always a big part of my life, which grew into a job later on.”
Q: Was this always your first choice of a job, like teaching music?
Ms. K: “I guess so, I always wanted to be a teacher in some capacity, and then as I got older I just assumed I would be a music teacher, and never really changed my mind!”
Some songs to expect from these cheerful groups are: Winter Wonderland, Deck the Halls, In the Bleak Mid-Winter, We Wish you a Merry Christmas, The First Noel, and Let it Snow. And speaking of songs,
I interviewed a few singers from the Mashcappellas as well, talking about their favorite songs and how long they have been in the after school group. Here is some of what they had to say.
Kaylee McCarthy:
Q: Your favorite christmas song?
KM: “My favorite Christmas song is either, “Wham! Last Christmas,” or “Mariah Carey's All I want for Christmas is You,” because it’s fun to scream. It’s also enjoyable to sing, but it’s fun.”
Q: How long have you been in the Mashcappellas?
KM: “This year actually, haha!”
SB: “This year?”
KM: “Well yeah I mean I couldn’t join until freshmen year, but they changed it for Nicole, because y’know she’s really good.”
Nicole Childs:
Q: Your favorite Christmas song?
NC: “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”
SB: “Why?”
NC: “Because it just brings me into the spirit!”
Q: How long have you been in Chorus?
NC: “Ever since fourth grade.”
SB: “Do you think that’s part of makes you so talented?”
NC: “I think working with Ms. Keller helped the most, Quashnet didn’t really teach me much.”
Brynne Santos:
Q: Your favorite christmas song?
BS: “Oh, that’s a hard question… If I had to choose, um, I would probably say it’s kind of a toss up between “The First Noel,” and “O’come Emmanuel.”
SB: “And is there a reason for that?”
BS: “I don’t really know they’re just very, um.. Slow relaxing, lots of great harmonies… Emmanuel is just, I don’t know… *chills gesture*
Q: How long have you been in the Mashcappellas?
BS: “I have been in the Mashcappellas since my junior year, so that would be, um, about a year and a half. So, it’s a very lovely thing, and people should join!”
So, be ready and be festive for tomorrow! The Mashpee Middle-High School sure will be! See you there.