Boys team up to raise the roof in song

Thousands of adoring, screaming Japanese girls can do wonders for your self-esteem.

Boys in The Summit Ensemble discovered that in August when they sang in Colorado Springs’ sister city, Fujiyoshida.

“One of the boys said afterward, ‘Now I know how the Biebs feels,’” says Marcia Hendricks, executive director of the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale.

Hendricks laughs, and heard in that inflated ego the faint whispers of success.

A dozen years ago, the Chorale started a crusade to make choir cool for boys. Girls already got it, but boys were hesitant to do the “Glee” thing.

“We’ve certainly had guys in core programs,” she says. “But not like the girls.”

In fact, in choirs across the country, girls have traditionally outnumbered boys three to one.
Hendricks and others in the Colorado Springs Chorale noticed that other communities were attracting boys by creating all-boy choirs.

“There seems to be appeal in that,” she says. “It goes back to that idea of teams and sports and guys together.”

In 2001, they started what would be several local all-boy choirs to perform “Sing Raise the Roof!,” an annual concert that is expected to fill the Wasson High School auditorium Saturday. The 200 boys will perform as a giant choir as well as in smaller groups, such as The Bottom Line, which is comprised of high school seniors who specialize in a cappella, and The Summit Ensemble, the premier choir of the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale.

This year’s program takes the boys on a multicultural exploration of the world of music, including Serbian and Swahili folk culture songs, Italian opera, upbeat Spanish tunes and South African gospel.

“We’ve done rock ‘n’ roll for a couple of years,” Hendricks says. “We thought we’d keep the idea of exciting rhythms but go into a different genre of music for the guys to experience.”
 It’s certainly different than what you’d hear from the Biebs. But, hey, maybe the girls will scream anyway.