St. Petersburg High's chorus program makes a comeback with a devoted director.
By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published December 3, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG - Slowly but surely, choral music is returning to St. Petersburg High School.
The classroom that was converted a dozen years ago into an art room is filled once again with young altos, sopranos and a few basses. The sheet music that was tossed out because there was no one to play it is being replenished.
Best of all, more students are signing up for the four general music classes that choral director Karen Donnelly teaches. This year, Donnelly's third at the school, she attracted 56 students to her general chorus class.
An important step along the way has been the creation of the St. Petersburg High School Madrigal Singers, a 13-member offshoot of the chorus. The group will present "The Winter Feast," a collection of Renaissance-era songs for the holiday season, at 3 p.m. Saturday at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church.
The students have been practicing twice a week after school to prepare for the concert. The program will feature traditional songs such as What Child is This and Deck the Halls as well as a short spoken-word performance.
"It's another opportunity to have a small ensemble, which is very important," Donnelly said of the madrigal group, adding that it is open to all students. "Eventually, it might become more competitive, but at this point, we are just trying to encourage people to sing."
It used to be easy to find students who wanted to sing at St. Petersburg High. For 22 years, the school boasted a strong choral department under the leadership of music director Les Burrows. But when Burrows became the school's library director in 1998, interest waned. With fewer students signing up for music classes, the school was unable to justify a full-time music teacher.
The switch from a seven-period to a six-period day in the late 1980s dealt a severe blow to high school music programs districtwide, said K-12 music supervisor Jeanne Reynolds. The diminished opportunity to take electives resulted in fewer students signing up for chorus classes. Because classroom units are dependent upon student enrollment, more chorus teachers were laid off.
In some cases, band directors stepped in, adding choral classes to their workload.
"The band directors did the best jobs they could," Reynolds said. "But it was like coaching two sports with a simultaneous season. It's awfully hard to do it well."
Some schools hired part-time choral teachers. At St. Petersburg High, a series of itinerants - teachers who worked at more than one school - struggled to bring more students back to music. Finally, in 2001, enough students expressed an interest for principal Linda Benware to hire Donnelly.
"I would say that lady works at least 60-plus hours a week," Benware said. "She's very generous with her time and the resources she has. She's trying to make the program unique enough and stylish enough so that students will want to be a part of it."
But making the program attractive to students has been expensive. Donnelly spent $1,000 of her own money last year for costumes and supplies. The Parent-Teacher Association reimbursed her $600, but she has spent another $600 so far this year.
If she didn't spend her own money, she knows some students would not be able to participate.
"For people who have rough times, it's very rough now," she said. "Getting kids to bring money for a T-shirt or to rent a tux is difficult. I get about half of what I need and have to scrounge for the rest."
Still, she thinks her efforts are justified. Besides providing a creative outlet, music offers an emotional release, she said. Over time, she has forged close relationships with many of her students.
"When you're in music class, it's like an open door," she said. "You will find out stories and be privy to the trials of their souls."
Next on Donnelly's agenda is the formation of a gospel choir at the school, which will take the form of an after-school club. Donnelly hopes it will attract students who might not otherwise join a chorus.
More than anything else, she hopes it will challenge more students to find their voices.
"It's healthy to make music," she said. "If the students have it inside them, they should express it."
If you go
The St. Petersburg High School Madrigal Singers will perform at 3 p.m. Saturday at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church, 1600 54th Ave. S. Suggested donation is $5.
