The Seneca Valley Singers are a family of human beings, first, and a team of musicians, second. Our definition of ensemble is a group of VOICES with a SHARED GOAL seen as a WHOLE.
The Seneca Valley Singers program contains five main entities; students, parents, SVHS music department (which includes the Choir Director who oversees the Seneca Valley Singers), SVHS administration, and the Germantown community. We are successful because all five of these groups are important, valued, and committed to the Seneca Valley Singers program and vision.
The Seneca Valley Singers program director, Tessa Walker, looks after her students by always having their best interest in mind, supporting their emotional needs, listening to them when they want to be heard, and expecting them to bring their daily best. Above all, the director wants students inside her program to have a safe space to be their authentic selves, to have a way to express themselves through music, and for them to learn musical skills and knowledge.
Students of the Seneca Valley Singers program have a desire to be in the moment, leave baggage at the door when possible, come prepared to learn new things, and are ready to improve their skills and knowledge. Our students are strong-willed, opinionated, passionate, kind, understanding, reflective, adventurous, reliable, and committed. They work diligently, thoughtfully, and see things through.
Our program provides a safe space and classroom community of friends and family for all that join. In addition, our program offers field trips in and out of school and community outreach opportunities that attract new participants.
To further recruitment efforts, student members attract student non-members that they know will enjoy themselves and fit within the program’s culture. Additionally, Seneca Valley Singers perform at multiple school events and are present within the community. The strong cultural identity and joy of making music are top reasons for joining the program. Our classroom environment is supportive, organized, high energy, and emotionally connected. The best music ensembles are created in spaces where individuals feel safe to take risks and explore new areas alongside one another.
The Seneca Valley Singers program produces and provides concerts and other less-formal performances, program merchandise, field trip adventures, opportunities to enhance students’ college or work resumes, musical and vocal knowledge, a safe space, and the opportunity to meet and network with people outside their immediate community. It is important to the Seneca Valley Singers to find trip opportunities that can be afforded by the members of the program so that no one is left out. The program also works to explore more community outreach, both in and out of the school building, acknowledging that we have the power to give back.
Our program creates music, laughter, and memories while offering an outlet for the singers and audience members to escape and enjoy the musical experience that is being created. We always sing for and to inspire our audiences. All our offerings help to strengthen the program’s culture, create bonding experiences within the community and with classmates in and out of the program, allow for priceless memories to be made, and garner emotional support and financial donations.
The Seneca Valley Singers have high performance and personnel standards that are strong tenants in the program’s cultural identity. Students, parents, directors, administrators, and community members are proud to have a program that is admired by other schools and county officials. The program and participating students are most praised for their clear cultural identity, respectfulness at events, and level of talent as an ensemble. We serve the entire Seneca Valley High School student-body, the entire Seneca musical cluster, and the entire Germantown community. In order to reach those audiences, we use personal invitations, active marketing and public relations, and performances to attract support. Successful fundraising ventures allow for more successful marketing ideas. When someone invests in the program, they become a part of the tradition and history of the Seneca Valley Singers legacy.
The students, parents, and director operate with passionate urgency in wanting to grow and progress this program. With more members and growth, come more funds and more opportunities.
As the schedule currently permits, we have up to four formal concerts a year, at least one of which is a cluster event, and participate in the County Adjudication annually. Songs for performances are chosen based on a variety of the following considerations: venue, audience, theme, voicing, difficulty level, teachable musical skills, exposure to various cultures/languages, suggestions, student autonomy, and director preference. Every song selected is done so with the intention of creating an achievable challenge that students can relish in the process and final product.
The Seneca Valley Singers ensembles have a unified and healthy sound. Importantly, the structured rehearsal routines are productive and upbeat. Each individual musician is responsible for bringing their materials to class, staying on top of their assignments, arriving with a good and ready-to-go attitude, and abiding by the Handbook that is given out each year. With attentive and prepared singers, the director has more time to share her passion and skill for barbershop music, add higher level literature and skills to the daily classroom, and feel comfortable to be flexible in the schedule.
In conclusion, the Seneca Valley Singers are an organized, passionate, and ever-evolving community of musicians and supporters that positively imprint on the community of Germantown and the future classes of Seneca Valley High School. Growth in numbers and opportunities excite the members of the program to continue to work towards more musical and personal development. We have over 100 students in our program and all our performances are attended by, at minimum, the same number of audience members as students performing on stage. Through donations, grants, fundraising, and other program involvement, no opportunity is denied for the Seneca Valley Singers or for a single student member because of monetary reasons. As the leader, the director is confident in the self-sustainability of the program which allows her to try new literature, opportunities, and activities that further the students’ education.