Eighteen boys from the Perry Middle School sang in Waverly Saturday in Real Men Sing, a middle school and high school vocal festival that is part of the Wartburg College Meistersinger Camps and Festivals.
“We have 47 boys in choir 6-12,” said Jenn Nelson, vocal music director at Perry High School. “This was an optional event for boys in grades 7-12, and we had 18 participate. It was a great day!”
The Perry Middle Schoolers included Seth Wilkinson, Calvin Sass, Andy Chic, Cale Cooklin, Derik Hill, Sebastian Hernandez, Riley Crawford, Tony Roe, Miguel Orduna, Christian Love, back row from left, Herman Benitez, Beau Nelson, Daniel Hill, Taylor Majerus, Keegan Eastman, William Hibbert, Justice Moreland and Logan Hall.
They were joined by some 700 singers from more than 50 schools in the Real Men Sing festival, including male vocalists from Wartburg College.
“This is the second time we have gone,” Nelson said. “We went in 2014. Last year it filled up before we registered, so we didn’t get in. They have to turn people away every year. It’s gotten so huge.”
Nelson said the Perry singers particularly like the song, “We May Not Be Vampires,” which poked fun at the rise of vampires in pop culture over the last several decades.
“We may not be vampires,” the boys sang, “but we’re still men!”
Nelson said the young singers were also impressed by the Minneapolis-based men’s ensemble Cantus. The eight-person choir, described by critics as “the premier men’s vocal ensemble in the United States,” specializes in mentoring young singers and educators.
“Cantus was amazing,” Nelson said. “The boys were just in awe of them. Most of my boys said the big combined song, ‘Tshotsholoza,’ was their favorite. A South African student in the Wartburg Ritterchor spoke about the meaning of the song to all the boys early in the day. That was really neat.”
Nelson said exposure to the pleasures of vocal music in middle school can last a lifetime — or at least through 12th grade.
“We have to get them singing early,” she said, “so we’ll have male singers in high school.”
An additional musical accolade came to a Perry Middle School student this week when seventh grader Miguel Orduna was accepted into OPUS, the junior high all-state honor choir. Orduna will sing next month at Iowa State University in the seventh and eighth grade bass clef honor choir.
“This is a tremendous honor,” said Perry Community School District Superintendent Lynn Ubben. “It’s the equivalent of a high school student making All-State.” Ubben said it has been several years since a PMS student was selected for OPUS.
More than 3,000 students from across Iowa audition for the OPUS Honor Choirs, which are sponsored by Iowa Choral Directors Association. Students will rehearse and perform Nov. 17 at ISU, which is also the opening day of the Iowa All-State Music Festival and Iowa Music Educators Association conference.
