A soft, but insistent melody floats gently out into the music hallway as one passes by during X-period. The melody is coming from the choir room as A Capella Club practices their newest piece, “Bonny Wood Green”.

A Capella Club has been active for many years and was an especially popular club choice for students before the COVID lockdown. Now, despite having fewer students compared to back then, the club is picking up again as a space for student musicians to sing with peers in a group setting.

Club leader William Hanna said, “We’re learning a new song…[and] we’re getting official sheet music this time, which will be fun.”

“Bonny Wood Green” is an old Irish folk song from World War I, sung from a young woman’s perspective as her lover, a soldier, goes off to fight in the trenches. The music that the A Capella Club opted for in semester two is down a completely different alley than their song last semester, “Nothing Changes” from the Hadestown musical. Switching from an indie-folk and pop style to a meditative and somber type of music, the club leaders took on a new direction with their singing.

During club time, the members of A Capella Club are able to work together harmoniously while singing because of their friendship outside of the club as well as mutual respect for each other as they enter the club.

“I really enjoy the community. People are really chill and accepting of people wherever they’re at in terms of their singing abilities,” said junior Raven Glaser.

While picking music for each semester, the club leaders put out a few suggestions for songs, but they also welcome other suggestions and ideas from the club members.

“It’s always we pick [together] because [then] there’s a nice variety,” said Glaser.

The A Capella Club is also striving to practice a song to a point where they feel comfortable enough to be able to perform it at a concert or assembly before the end of the year.

“We aren’t able to perform for large audiences very much because of how hard it is to prepare music on our current club’s schedule, but we do put things on our club’s Instagram sometimes,” Hanna said.

In previous years, A Capella Club has performed on staircases around the school due to the acoustics in those areas, and they aspire to be able to perform again this year. The club meets every X-period during club time and will meet after school if performance opportunities present themselves.