At Manhattan High, a typical choir concert consists of the major choirs singing songs that were chosen and rehearsed with the assistance of choir directors.

But each winter, MHS choir members put on their own student led concert, called the Serenade Concert. At this concert, students are encouraged to create small groups or solo and perform music that they chose and rehearsed alone. The concert is popular among choir members, and many members do multiple songs in different groups.

“I’m singing with my octet minus one, and we are singing ‘Viva la Vida’ by Coldplay,” sophomore Emily Willi said. “We did it last year with [former choir director Tomas] Lambotte and it was really fun. We liked the experience we were able to have, singing with just octet-style stuff.”

Many of this year’s participants are returning to the concert, having received a positive experience from last year’s performances. Each performance is unique and allows the students to show their talents as individuals and small groups. The task of rehearsing on your own has given way to many different rehearsal styles among students.

“I just walk around the house with my guitar, I usually play for my little sister,” sophomore Wyatt Balman said. “She likes to dance to the songs. She likes ‘Feliz Navidad’ the most.”

“Our group has been doing a lot of rehearsals,” Willi said. “We had to arrange all the music by ourselves, we decided to take the harder step and it’s turned out pretty well.”