While Findlay City Schools wasn’t able to put on a holiday choir concert this year because of COVID, they have been entertaining people with their Virtual Choir project.

Choir Director Kevin Manley says the Virtual Choir videos have been very well received by the public but they will never replace in-person performances.

Manley explained how he put the videos together.

“To make the videos, each student is singing along to a rehearsal track that I created for them. The rehearsal tracks are what hold the project together. Each student then records themselves singing their part at home, their bedroom, a closet, their car…or anywhere they can find a quiet spot to record. It is up to me to collect all of the videos, create a master audio track, and then align all of the videos into the final project. For the Joy To The World project, I collected 80 videos from the students. I don’t know for sure, but I am guessing that this project took around 40 hours to complete. While virtual choir videos will never replace singing together in person, it is an innovative way to keep the singing going during the pandemic. The students enjoy putting them together, and they love watching the final project.”

Manley says the choirs have not performed since December of 2019 and it is a very tough time for the performing arts.

“Here’s to hoping that we will be able to get together soon for a traditional, in-person concert.”

In the meantime, you can enjoy the Virtual Choir performances of Joy To The World and Wonderful Christmastime below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBa9Bn72jWw