In Praise of Pam Herzog and the MUS Chorus

The 2018 holiday season is finally upon us and preparations are now being made for the arrival of Santa Claus and the gifts of love and laughter he leaves behind. If Santa has his magic iPhone plugged in at the North Pole, what very special transmission might he be hearing from Santa Barbara? If you haven’t already guessed, he could be listening to the Montecito Union School chorus in their black and white tuxedo outfits with a perky red cummerbund and bowtie, singing songs of Christmas and Hanukkah all over town. Under the direction of Music Specialist Pam Herzog, the MUS chorus brings holiday music and the energy of youthful voices as a special gift to our community, and in the case of the magical iPhone, to Santa himself. Nothing like preparing the Bearded One for a longer stop here in Montecito this year! 

“Our amazing chorus is the highest level of performance our school has to offer and is an honored tradition at MUS,” says Pam proudly after one of their performances. “It’s an all-volunteer group,” she boasts, “of kids who come to school over an hour early each day for practices and rehearsals.” Although the chorus is well known throughout the community, what isn’t as well known is the dedication and time each participating student and his or her family devote to being a part of the group.

At the beginning of each school year, children in the 4^th to 6^th grades who wish to take part are asked to make a commitment for the entire school year. “Practices begin during the first weeks of school and effectively continue until the end of school in June,” says Pam. “Think about that,” she adds. “Almost every day! That’s a long day for an elementary school child… and they’re happy to do it!” 

There are actually two choruses underway during the school year: a Mustang chorus composed of 4^th graders directed by Music Specialist Ron Zecher, and the 5^th and 6^th grade chorus, the primary performance group. During the months of November and December of this year, the chorus has made appearances at the Montecito Rotary, the Channel City Club at the Beachfront Hilton Resort, the Music Academy’s Women’s Auxiliary in Lehman Hall on the Music Academy of the West campus, the Coast Village Road celebration for the Montecito community, not to mention a series of Winter Sings, and other performances at school – all before Winter Break. More rehearsals and spring performances follow after the break and, of course, the trips to Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland are highlights of the performance year.

One of the most interesting aspects of the program is how eager the students are to join and the commitment of energy they are willing to make to be involved. The kids are truly dedicated and the opportunity to be a member of the chorus is one that also involves taking a huge risk as a performer, which for some can be quite a challenge.

The students, however, view their yearly commitment from the perspective of the heart. “When I sing, it lets me express myself” is Nichole’s reason for joining. “I enjoy our chorus because we are all a family and if we make mistakes, we learn from them together.” Not feeling vulnerable, being able to make mistakes and learn from them is a confidence building experience. “What I like about chorus is everyone is so supportive and makes you feel like you can sing out, without being made fun of,” adds Chloe. 

The students, otherwise known as the chorus family, share one thing in common: they love to sing. “I joined chorus because I love singing and making other people happy,” says Lovelynn, “and that’s what matters to me!” Simone, like many of the chorus family, seems to enjoy starting her day with music. “I like waking up every morning and coming to school to a joyful group, ready to start our day off singing.”

Having to rise and shine before the sun on winter days can be a challenge, but with Simone’s enthusiasm, the thought of getting up at the crack of dawn seems less daunting. Frances, a 6^th grade student, expressed what many others feel about being in the chorus family. “I would say we laugh often, but when we need to be serious we are. I love chorus and I’m so sad to leave after this year! I think I most enjoy singing with friends and seeing people smile.” And how right Frances is, they do make people smile. I can attest to that myself.

One of the early risers that happily trots off to chorus at the crack of dawn is my granddaughter. A big smile appears on her face when she talks about it. “I love chorus; Mrs. Herzog and all the kids are so nice. Singing is one of my favorite things in the world!”

Thank you Pam and Ron so much for bringing such joy to our children, and to the entire community. And Santa, on his iPhone at the North Pole, thanks you too!