KHS Madrigals, Hard Work, Commitment and More…

The Madrigals choir at KHS is a group of 28 students with a collective passion for singing, and a spirit of teamwork that keeps us going through the busiest times of the year. During the holiday season, the “Mads” commit to caroling wherever we’re requested, often singing upwards of 12 hours’ worth of gigs in a week.

This year, our season started the day before Thanksgiving, followed by our annual San Antonio day trip on Black Friday. After that, we pretty much spent the rest of the season at a sprint. 

It’s challenging committing to such a time-consuming activity, especially with caroling season in mind. Mads isn’t like other fine arts, where countless hours culminate in one final send-off; there isn’t a single performance that ends in massive applause from an audience of close friends and family. Instead, we’re more of musical nomads. 

For the Mads, what makes the extra commitment worth it isn’t in the “big” moments. Instead, there are little memories that we pick up along the way. Seeing a little girl dance wildly around in the airport while we’re singing “Jingle Bells,” hearing the haunting echo of “Ave Maria” come spiraling back to us from the end of a church, watching a woman close her eyes and be swept away listening to carols that bring her peace during the madness of the Christmas season. 

And, of course, the bus rides we share on our “big gigs” downtown or to San Antonio. No matter how many hours we’ve spent singing that day, being around each other is enough to get us joking, telling stories, and bringing ourselves back to life after being utterly exhausted. 

The Mads, with our amazing director and mentor Mr. Watt, find all the motivation we need in each other and in the music. As cliche as it sounds, the chance everyday to learn and polish insanely difficult pieces, while still taking breaks in class to joke around (see inside jokes such as “The Pants”, Mr. Watt’s Bag of Shade, and the “Flex Jar”) makes all the outside hours worth it. 

Check out Kingwood HS Choir @Kingwoodchoir for some great videos of where we have been able to serve this year with The Mads.