Spring Hill Middle School’s gospel choir will take its show on the road next month, performing two songs at the Carowinds Festival of Music.
The choir numbers some 30 members, who all share one common bond: the love of music.
“I love to sing, so that’s why I thought gospel choir would be a good place for me,” said seventh grade student Kevin Green.
The choir was formed in 2009 by seventh grade language arts and social studies teacher Charlotte Loyd. They sing at school functions such as Christmas and Black History programs - they even raised $1,100 with a concert for Haitian earthquake victims in 2010.
“I started in the community choir with Mrs. Lloyd and I’ve been in gospel choir since sixth grade,” said eighth grader La’Asia Jackson. “I like gospel choir because I like church music and I love to sing.”
“A lot of these guys, some of them are athletic, some of them are not; for some of them, this is what they do,” Lloyd said of her gospel choir students. “We kind of melted into this family, and they really look forward to doing what they do.”
To help raise money for the trip to Carowinds, the choir will hold a concert at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday in the Spring Hill gymnasium. They will perform six selections from a repertoire of gospel music.
“They especially enjoy performing for the community,” Lloyd said. “They get really excited when they know that people from the outside are coming to hear them.”
The choir allows students to showcase their passion in an area where young adults rarely express serious interest.
“I like how it sounds, how it flows – I’ve loved it ever since I was little, because my mother sings on the praise team at From the Word,” said Spring Hill student Toni Fleming. “I choose to be in gospel choir because I love to sing – all I do is sing.”
The two pieces the choir will perform at the Carowinds Festival of Music are among the six the choir will perform at Sunday.
“They are absolutely overjoyed about going to Carowinds,” Lloyd said. “They wanted to do it last year and things didn’t work out, but this year we are on our way and we are so excited about it. I’m really appreciative of our community churches, because they have really reached out to us and they are now helping us with the fundraising.”
Tickets for the gospel choir’s concert can be purchased for $6 at the door or $5 in advance at Spring Hill. Proceeds will be directed toward the cost of the trip.
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