Sing ‘N Share happens once a year to let incoming middle school students get a feel of what Leyden’s Choral Music department is like.

Partner schools such as River Grove, Hester and Rhodes elementary schools were invited to Leyden where current Leyden singers guided them through a brief musical workshop known as Sing N’ Share.

Choral director Stacy Cunningham started the Sing ‘N Share event five years ago, “to help connect our current Leyden Singers with our future Leyden Singers.

She explains that idea is for each school to sing 1-2 songs by themselves and then have the Leyden choir members sing for the schools. The workshop ends with a large group performance where all the partner schools and Leyden choir members sing together.

“It also allows the parents and students to get to know the directors at the high school before they arrive,” Cunningham added.

Eighth grader Leslie Arciniega is a Hester student who was part of the Sing ‘N Share this year and remarked on “just how beautiful, dedicated and talented the high schoolers sing. I also enjoyed hearing the Chamber Singers sing “All the Right Moves”.”

While it was a great opportunity for Arciniega to see the choir opportunities available at Leyden, she added that “my favorite part of the event was seeing what other schools in our grade level do.

Ms. Cunningham has continued the event because,“it helps connect our community in a great way, sharing music.”

“I liked showing the younger ones what they can attain with hard work because they look up to us and one day they can be us,” West senior Summer Antoinette said.

Arciniega acknowledged that the event has inspired her “to attend choir in high school because I always thought it would be fun to do until 8th then I can stop, but since it’s a class [at Leyden] I don’t have to stop.”