This 2025-2026 show choir season, Kennedy High School’s junior varsity show choir, Protégé, will premiere their first all girls group due to the lack of male voices at Kennedy High School.
Protégé will no longer perform as a soprano, alto, tenor and bass group (SATB), and will instead do a treble group (soprano 1,2 and alto). They will premiere a five song show, with three costumes as opposed to four songs similar to last season.
“Our choirs are dependent on the number of voices we have that want to participate. So if we have enough boys next year we will go back to an SATB format,” Protégé director Ann Brunson said. “If we don’t have the numbers, we would stay with a treble group.”
With the dynamic change, one major difference is classroom engagement. Brunson has found that the decrease in vocal parts has allowed for more focus to be put into the three remaining sections.
“I feel the change has led to more engagement in the classroom. This is due to the girls always having to be focused learning something instead of waiting for a separate part to be taught to another group of dancer/singers,” Brunson said.“It is still a challenge as you have different choreography going on and different voice parts going on.”
Students believe this change still has room for improvement, and has not yet fixed all of the necessary changes.
“I think we need to be more responsible with our rules in the class and our assignments, like following music correctly, not talking while the teacher is talking, and putting in our attendance,” 2nd year Protégé member and dance captain, Peyton Cassell said.
The singing and choreographing processes have sped up due to directors and choreographers being less distracted. This puts the choir in a better position for the upcoming premiere and competition season.
“The pace of learning is usually faster and by having only 3 vocal parts as opposed to 4 makes the skill learning a quicker process,” Brunson said. “With regards to dancing, the pace can also be quicker as more girls tend to have some type of dance background.”
Cassell has found the all girls group more enjoyable than the traditional style.
“[I’ve enjoyed Protégé more] this season, because I feel like we are getting a lot done and we have more potential,” Cassell said.
Despite the decrease in numbers, Brunson believes the developments that were made to the choir enable the group to strive for a higher level of performance.
“I definitely feel that having an all-treble choir allows for more growth in our group,” Brunson said.
Protégé is continuing to prepare for the upcoming premiere on November 13th at Kennedy High School, beginning at 7pm.
