Oh my god! I did it, I did it! That was the thought running through my mind on the first day of sophomore year as I looked at my schedule. Hilltones, Mr. Woehr – E21, it read. If you’re like many of my friends, you might be wondering what Hilltones is. The Hilltones is SCH’s historic men’s a capella group led by Mr. Woehr. The group comprises over nineteen members this year, the largest in years. The Hilltones sing a combination of modern pop numbers and classical music from many different cultures around the world.
My interest in music started with middle school Boychoir. Ever since fifth grade, it has been a goal of mine to join Hilltones. I remember sitting in the middle school Boychoir room, dreading the moment the teacher would appear and I’d have to sing. I first signed up for Boychoir because we were required to take a performing arts class, but this feeling of “having” to do Boychoir soon faded away.
The second Mr. Woehr walked into that classroom, my life changed forever. There was something about the way he talked, the enthusiasm in his voice, the way he taught, and how he could make me pay attention that changed my perspective on singing. Since that day, I made it my goal to join Hilltones.
However, joining the Hilltones isn’t as easy as signing up for a middle school class. The process of joining is tough, competitive, frightening, and fun. Potential members must take one semester of the training class, called Vocal Workshop. Then, at the end of every year, there’s an audition process for anyone who wants to join the group. Even after being accepted into the group, my anxiety still lingered and brewed in me like a pot of boiling water. My anxiety couldn’t stop time, though.
As I walked into the first class, my uncertainty immediately dissipated. I was given a warm welcome by Mr. Woehr and the older members of Hilltones. That was all I needed to get straight to business.
No time was wasted as we gathered around the piano to start learning our arrangement of the National Anthem. Within minutes, I could feel the new group coming together to form a beautifully harmonized sound. By the end of the first class, we had already learned all of the National Anthem and had even practiced a few other songs.
On September 9th, we performed for the first time this year, singing the National Anthem for the SCH senior ceremony. With only a week to prepare the classes were intense, demanding, and fun. That’s what it takes to be a Hilltone: dedication, open-mindedness, passion, and a love for the art.
