The Fords Middle School Spring Concert was held on Wednesday, May 6th at 7:00 p.m. The concert consisted of 8 songs, performed over the course of about an hour. This was the second concert performed this school year, and was the first Spring Concert directed by Mr. Garcia. The concert featured 8 very talented soloists, and a wonderful performance from the rest of the choir, as well.
The rehearsals that led up to the concert were very productive, and the students were working very well. A lot of students were scared to attend the rehearsals, due to fear of messing up during the concert. But they gained more confidence and became less anxious as the concert date grew closer. Then, by the time the dress rehearsal arrived, everyone seemed to be pretty prepared for the concert. A lot of students said that everyone seemed a lot more prepared for this concert than they did at the winter concert.
At the actual concert itself, the performance was described by many as wonderful. The performance began at around 7:00 P.M. and opened with ‘Yo Vivo Cantando’, performed by the entirety of the Fords Middle School Choir. After that, 8th grade student Thomas Z gave a short speech about the next arrangement, and the choir transitioned into ‘A Red Red Rose’, which was their second song of the night.
After that song ended, the choir filed off of the stage, leaving only the Select Choir onstage. A short speech then gave a bit of background information on the next piece, and the Select Choir transitioned into their next song, ‘The Cuckoo Has Fallen To His Death’, which led into the other two Select Choir songs, ‘Wade In The Water’, which is an African-American spiritual, and ‘Homeward Bound’, which featured soloists Emma N, Christopher S, and Daniela N.
Afterwards, the rest of the choir walked back onstage, and they performed their fourth song of the night, ‘Found/Tonight’. After that, a large portion of the choir walked off the stage once again, leaving only the 8th grade students to perform their 8th grade song, which is a yearly tradition at Fords Middle School. This year, the 8th grade song was ‘A Million Dreams’ from The Greatest Showman, and the performance featured soloists Jack P and Elora F. This song was especially important to certain 8th grade students this year, because the song was performed at the 5th grade Spring concert at Lafayette Estates [School #25], so this was described as somewhat of a full-circle moment for some people.
After the 8th grade song, the rest of the choir filed back onstage one more time, and prepared to perform their last song of the night, ‘You Belong’, which featured soloists Bernard J, Jael M, and Jaylen D.
Overall, the concert was a wonderful experience, and a majority of the people described it as a success.
Songs Performed at This Year’s Spring Concert:
FMS Choir Songs (Pt:1):
Yo Vivo Cantando:
Yo Vivo Cantando, originally written by Jerry Estes, was the opener for this year’s spring concert, performed by the entirety of the Fords Middle School Choir.
A Red Red Rose:
A Red Red Rose, originally written by Robert Burns in 1794, is a famous poem, known for its romantic sincerity and declarations of affection. The song was the second performed by the Fords Middle School Choir.
Select Choir Songs:
The Cuckoo Has Fallen To His Death:
The Cuckoo Has Fallen To His Death, written by Thomas Ravenscroft, is a comedic madrigal, performed as the third song in the Spring concert sung by the Fords Middle School Chorale, also known as the Select Choir.
Homeward Bound:
Homeward Bound, written originally by Marta Keen Thompson, is a song about finding your true calling in life, and is meant to express one’s need to grow and change. It was the fourth song performed by the Fords Middle School Select Choir.
Wade in the Water:
Wade in the Water was the fifth song performed at the Spring Concert, and was the final song performed by the Fords Middle School Select Choir. Unlike the rest of the songs listed so far, Wade In The Water does not have a single author. It is a traditional African-American spiritual, and its creation can be traced back to enslaved people in the United States.
FMS Choir Songs (Pt:2):
Found Tonight:
Found Tonight, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul, was the sixth song performed by the Fords Middle School Choir. The song is a mash-up of “The Story of Tonight” from Hamilton, and “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen.
A Million Dreams:
A Million Dreams, written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul in 2017, was the seventh song performed by the Fords Middle School Choir. Unlike the rest of the songs performed, A Million Dreams was performed by only the 8th grade students in the choir. The song is meant to be an anthem of hope, imagination, and determination.
You Belong:
You Belong, written by Robert T. Gibson, has a general meaning of “you are perfect the way you are” and that there is a place in the world regardless of your background, skin color, race, religion etc. You Belong is shown and sung to be empowering for acceptance, self-worth, and unity. You Belong was the last song that was sung at the concert.
