In addition to the variety of classes added to the roster this year, Gulf Breeze High School is now offering Chorus! In Room 501, students’ voices and the tunes of the piano blend  together in a symphony. Each day, Mr. Sentell leads the class in exercises and students diligently prepare for events yet to come. Since last Spring, Principal Brothers and many others had laid the groundwork in creating this class due to the increased interest in singing. Their dream came to life with the recruitment of Mr. Sentell, who came from Fort Smith to join the Gulf Breeze team. 

    However, for Mr. Sentell, Chorus had begun as a nightmare. In middle school, his mom “threw” him in choir, he recalls, “I begged and begged her not to put me in there but she told me to try it for one day and see if I like it.” To his surprise, chorus grew to become something he would love so much that he aspired to teach it. As he simply put it, “That’s when I realized I wanted to teach music and help others have fun and recognize that choir is an awesome place to be at.” Ever since that fateful day he was put into Choir, Mr. Sentell went on to become recognized at a national level and was invited to sing at Carnegie Hall. It all began with learning one humble note. With the aid of the teacher who helped him learn to sing, he was inspired to pass his passion onto others. In an heartwarming ending statement, Mr. Sentell says that, “I hope that students will be able to get camaraderie, self-confidence, better singing skills, and know that it is a safe place to learn and grow as we build this choir program!”  

    Originally starting out with 20 members, Chorus now boasts 26, and are still accepting people from all skill levels. With excitement at the potential of an expanding Chorus, Mr. Sentell states, “We would love more Tenor and Bass singers to broaden our song choices.” Joining is completely beginner-friendly, and as a Chorus member and sophomore, Jaxxson Cerrato encourages, “it’s always something new to try and it doesn’t sound like something that might be fun, but it’s really fun!” Ollie McCray, another Chorus member and sophomore, shares that their reason for joining chorus stems from a three year ongoing passion for singing. Furthermore, they are looking forward to learning music theory and passing the All-State written and vocal test which will be coming up soon. 

    Currently, the Chorus is practicing to go through the aforementioned All-State, a process in which singers audition and, if they pass, advance to the next stage of the competition. The competition is located in Tampa and is happening in January. Not only that, but the class has multiple ideas planned out for this year that’ll take place in our own community. Students can look forward to attending, if not joining, the Winter Concert, a potential collaboration with ROTC for Veterans Day, and a fun pop/musical in the Spring featuring the viral “Corn Kid Song” on TikTok.