Young men find their voices

above: Gordon’s G-Notes a cappella group at last Thursday’s Classroom Visiting Day. The four eighth grade boys in the group will perform at Rhode Island College this Friday.

At a nursery to eighth grade school like Gordon, the eighth graders get to stand in the spotlight more often - and more gracefully - than they ever do at a school that goes to twelfth grade.

This Friday, four eighth grade boys will get an extra turn in the spotlight at the daylong Young Men’s Choral Festival at Rhode Island College. The event is organized by the Providence Singers as “a choral workshop and concert designed especially for young men of high school age and mature junior high students.” The eight-hour day ends with a concert, free and open to the public, at 7pm.

The G-Notes are Gordon’s a cappella singing group for sixth, seventh and eighth grades. The sixteen members go through a rigorous audition process, with written components as well as a performance piece, and the rehearsal and performance schedule is demanding.

Many of the young men of the G-Notes have gone on to be leaders in high school and college ensembles. It’s nice to see some of them get recognition while they’re still here at Gordon.