Choir hopes to inspire with its song choices for inauguration

By Mollie Schmidt

Ethel Cooper’s goal as the ALA Girls State choir director is to inspire people through music. She hopes to accomplish this goal through the choir concert sang by delegates this year at the Friday night inauguration.

This year, delegates will sing a series of pieces, which incude: “United We Stand,” “You Raise Me Up,” “Stars and Stripes” and “God Bless America.”

Cooper said the music she is teaching the delegates was chosen because of its patriotism.

“The songs are picked because the songs are patriotic and they deal with personal growth,” she said.

Meredith Calloon from Boston, who will sing at the concert, said she felt really good about this year’s selection of music because it isn’t over played and it is a patriotic selection.

“I’m really excited to perform because there is a lot of talented musicians and we can really put something great together,” Calloon said.

Cooper said she isn’t nervous at all for the delegates to perform, even with the shortage of practices. She mentioned that in previous years, the delegates have performed wonderfully.

“The girls are very good singers, very talented singers,” Cooper said.

Choir singer Sarah Keefe, from Baltimore, said music has a big impact on her life. She is in both band and choir, and everywhere she goes, she seems to have music all around her. She hears music on the radio, hears it when she watches television and even when she is creating it herself.

Although Cooper directs the choir at Girls State, she also substitute teaches band and choir in schools in South Dakota. She said there are perks that comes with being the South Dakota Girls State choir director, since the girls come together and pull pieces together in a short amount of time.

The delegates will be performing during the inauguration Friday night in Aalfs Auditorium Slagle Hall.