Choir director helps keep music alive during pandemic
There are a lot of things that students across the country aren’t experiencing in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those things — for choir students — is being able to perform for their family and friends at their annual concerts.
But Dave Fazzini, director of choirs at Notre Dame Preparatory in Pontiac, found a way around that.
During the late summer and early fall months, the students at the Catholic high school rehearsed outside or spread out in the gym or band room, while wearing their masks.
“I wanted to record the kids together — with audio and video. ... We would use condenser microphones to pick up large groups. All of the sound was recorded with the kids wearing masks, but it’s extremely difficult to tell. It really didn’t affect their sound,” Fazzini says.
Then he moved the students out to the football field, where they stood at least six feet apart from one another, and lipsynced to the audio they recorded for the video. The public was able to watch the virtual concert from the safety of their homes.
Some of the songs the students performed were “You’ll Never Walk Alone/ Climb Every Mountain” from “The Sound of Music,” “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper and “Virtual Insanity” by Jamiroquai.
Earlier in the pandemic, Fazzini brought together 92 students, alumni and teachers to sing “He Never Failed Me Yet” by Robert Ray. Each singer recorded himor herself, and Fazzini edited and synced the videos together — a task that took him more than 40 hours to complete. The YouTube video has since garnered more than 16,000 views.
“What makes this whole process feel so great is that it is reaching so many people. ... It’s about being inspired to have hope and faith,” Fazzini told Detroit Catholic.
To watch Notre Dame Prep’s fall concert, visit bit.ly/2020ndpfallconcert. To watch the choir’s performance of “He Never Failed Me Yet,” visit bit.ly/ndpchoir.
Check back to Fazzini’s YouTube channel later this month at bit.ly/dave-fazzini for a virtual Christmas performance.