Gallery • 3 Photos

Charles Wang

In this photo, the Hall Choraliers pose for a High School Musical style freeze frame photo in the choir room at Hall High School, West Hartford, CT while filming for Pops ‘n Jazz. The personality of each member becomes visible and their excitement is evident throughout the various ways they decide to jump. (Taken March 1. 2021)

Hall High School Pops n’ Jazz has been a West Hartford tradition for over 60 years. Each year, beginning in January, the Concert Jazz Band, Choraliers, and Jazz Dancers rehearse weekly, culminating in five performances. We (Ella & Charles) are members of the Hall Choraliers, and over the past few months, we’ve gotten the opportunity to play a part in the Pops n’ Jazz process. While Pops n’ Jazz has been greatly affected by this hectic year of Covid-19, we’ve gone through experiences and made friendships that will last a lifetime. Not only will we go down in history as the (hopefully) one year of virtual PNJ, but we’ll have documentation of our resilience and how we were still able to bond as a group.

This year, Pops n’ Jazz is being made into a video, which can be seen in the Choraliers spending the last several weeks filming different acts and recording audios. From the boys posing for a quick snapshot and a Choraliers-High School Musical jump scene all the way to Brett Boles, the Choraliers teacher, chasing the singers down a hallway, the ensemble has shown how it’s possible to enjoy these small moments even in the toughest of times.

As we can all agree on, Coronavirus has had a strong clamp over our daily lives this year; many people have either become complacent or tired of the limitations that we’re restricted to: not being able to hang out with friends or go to the mall have really brought the worst out of us. But the Choraliers have shown how, “happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times” as said by Dumbledore. Even further, through student leadership within the group, the Choraliers have been able to use unparalleled levels of creativity, passion, and determination, to make this year’s show possible. For each individual scene that we filmed, student leaders have brought everyone together to turn this amazing show into a video, something that the whole community can soon enjoy. The phrase “You Are A Choralier Forever” held true before the pandemic, and will continue to convey the incredible group that Choraliers is.