Luverne Public School Choirs: Strong and Growing

Seana Graber

The Luverne school district’s choir program is thriving and growing larger every year. As the choir director, I am so excited to be working in a district and community that wholeheartedly supports the arts! In Luverne, choir is an elective class that is offered to students in grades 6-12. There are currently 143 students, which is 53% of the student body, in my two middle school choirs and 130 high school students, 37% of the student body, in my two high school choirs.

Banner Photo: Luverne High School Concert Choir

Luverne has a 6th grade choir, a 7th/8th grade mixed choir, a 9/10 treble choir, and a high school concert choir. Two years ago, I started the Cardinal Choir which brings together members of my concert choir and special education students once a week to sing together for 30 minutes. The Cardinal Choir also sings in our choir concerts twice a year. The Cardinal Choir is a joy to work with. It is so fun to watch the students work together and support each other and the audience loves hearing them in the concerts. It definitely warms your heart when you watch them perform.

Luverne Middle School 7th/8th grade choir

Each choir is unique and no two days are the same in my choir room. The sixth grade choir is always energetic, excited to sing as well as the “big kids”, and open to trying new things. The 7th/8th grade mixed choir is very large this year with 107 students in the room at one time. The challenge in working with this large of an ensemble is making everyone feel seen and heard and making time to get to know each student one on one. Both the 6th grade choir and the 7th/8th grade choir meet every other day for 50 minutes. They sing in three concerts throughout the year and are the training ground for my high school choirs.

Middle School students during homecoming week

In high school, my treble choir and concert choir meet everyday for 50 minutes. Throughout the year, the choirs will sing in 4 concerts and participate in large group contest. The concert choir also participates in the Big South Choral Festival every fall. This is a great festival where my students can hear neighboring high school choirs and have the opportunity to work with guest clinicians. Every March, both of my high school choirs work with a clinician who is hired by the Luverne Music Booster organization. The guest clinician works with each choir for approximately 5 hours over two days and then directs the choirs in the concert. This year will be the 49th year the Luverne Music Booster organization has sponsored this clinic. It is a way to give all of my choir students the opportunity to work with renowned clinicians right here at home.

Luverne High School Pops Concert

If you would ask my students what are some of their best memories of choir, I know they would say singing in the December concert and our May pops concert. In December, every choir is featured throughout the evening and at the end of the concert all of the choirs come together to sing, “O Holy Night.” The lights go off, the choir students turn on their handheld candles, and the audience is surrounded by the voices of young people. Every year during our one mass rehearsal, my breath is taken away when all of the students join in on the chorus of the song. It is magical and one of the most memorable moments for both myself, the students, and the audience. The students also love preparing for and performing the pops concert every May. There is always a theme for this concert and for two months the choirs are all working on their music and choreography. The choreography is student created and student led all the way down to the sixth grade choir. Throughout the school year, my goals are to give my students an opportunity to be music makers, to take ownership in the quality of the product we put out to the public, to have the students enjoy the process of learning and performing the music, and to give them memories that will last a lifetime.

Luverne High School Treble Choir

I am the only director for all of the choir students in grades 6-12. Some may find this overwhelming, and at times it is, but I find it a great way to develop relationships with all of my singers. I watch them grow and mature over the years while also having an active part in that growth. My students are “my kids” and that is what I love about the program in Luverne. I have the opportunity to build the choir program and to see each choir member’s growth both vocally and personally. By the time my choir students get to be seniors, it is really difficult letting them graduate. I get to see the wonderful young people they have become and look forward to seeing what their futures have in store for them. We become a family in the choir room and that is exactly what I want the choir program in Luverne to be.

As a Luverne graduate, I know my choir memories are my most vivid memories of high school. I can only hope my students leave Luverne proud they were a member of the Luverne choir program and happy they made time in their busy schedules to be in choir.

About Seana Graber

Seana Graber is in her 35th year of teaching vocal music. She is a proud graduate of Luverne High School and Concordia College, Moorhead, MN. She received her Master’s degree in leadership from SMSU in Marshall, MN. Seana taught at Edgerton Public School in Edgerton, MN from 1990-1995. The last 30 years have been spent teaching elementary music and now middle and high school choir in Luverne, MN. Seana is married, has three children and one grandson. She is proud of the work she has done over the past 30 years with the students in Luverne. Hopefully retirement is in her future but until then, you will find her making music in the choir room and enjoying the process of helping her students become better musicians and humans.