School Spotlight: Brainerd A Cappella Choir

• arr. Gail Kubik: Oh Dear! What Can the Matter Be?

• Spiritual arr. Allen Koepke: Wade in de Water

For the past 70 years, the A Cappella Choir at Brainerd High School has been valued by the both the school district and local community, bringing a sense of belonging to the students and teaching them about the benefits and joys of working together. Made up of juniors and seniors who audition to participate, it is the ensemble that the younger choral students aspire to be a part of. Whilst singing Palestrina, Mendelssohn, Whitacre, and everything in between, the A Cappella members learn how to depend on each other as well as be dependable, instead of just pushing themselves forward only as individuals. Through working together to study the song texts, the students also learn to understand empathy and how to portray that to their audience.

This ensemble is considered the "home base" inside the high school for its members. It's a place where everyone can feel safe and accepted, as well as give to and find support from their choral "brothers" and "sisters". In a past tour to Hawai'i (and they are going again this year), the choir learnt the significance of the word "Aloha", which means "hello", "goodbye", and "I love you" all at once. The "Aloha spirit" is something that the choir has since embraced amongst themselves and try to share with the larger community. This sometimes is hard to keep up, admits director Brian Stubbs, but "we daily remind each other to go out and keep trying". Mr. Stubbs sees a larger lesson and goal for his students in the choral experience: "These [students] are our future...and their places as leaders may someday help us as a society if their understanding of human's need to be connected to one another is innate.

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