Students at Russellville High School use an acapella group to show their love of music

Russellville, Arkansas – Students from Russellville High School who are a part of the Chromatics choral group use their enthusiasm to perform acapella music through the RHS choral.

RHS choir instructor Matt Foy claimed that a student approached him with the concept and that once it got going, it exploded.

He claimed that after a few years, they attempted performing at a school pep rally and it was a tremendous success.

“We were able to put it together with mics, went to the pep rally and really just blew everybody away with that,” said Foy. “From there it has just kept going.”

Over ten years later, RHS Chromatic continues to perform at numerous events throughout the year, including pep rallies, state contests, and community outreach.

Kynslee McCarter, a senior at RHS, said this is her first year playing with the ensemble.

“I absolutely loved it because you just make bonds with people you never expected to and we really have got to learn some fun music,” said McCarter. “I have been singing my whole life and this just makes it 10 times better.”

Bringing joy via music is senior Adam Arizhea’s passion, but mastering it is a rewarding struggle. He is starting his second year in school.

“You have to make sure it is fine-tuned and your voices are coming in together and the way you want it, it has to lock in,” said Arizhea. “It is just incredible watching your voices make the music and the pop songs that you have heard forever.”

According to Foy, he observes children improving their voice skills while having fun.

“They have a little bit more freedom to watch them and see their eyes light up, like ‘oh this is really cool,” said Foy. “It is a lot of fun, you know, because it is really different from everything else that we do. It has been kind of a challenge because it is different but at the same time it is just so much fun.”

But Arizhea claimed that it is a family, not just a group.

“It is really fun,” said Arizhea. “Even through the hard times and the good times, it is always a blast to have these people around. We are all here to do the same thing, make music and make art for other people to enjoy.”

RHS Chromatic has participated in state contests and has won 10 best-in-class honors. This year, they aim to earn an additional one.