For one day, at least, choir belongs to boys

Girls continue to outnumber boys in school choirs, said Nate Miller, choir director for Monacan High School.

To promote male singers, the Chesterfield County school will host its second annual Central Virginia Men's Chorus Invitational on Saturday at 3 p.m.

About 85 young men from Richmond and Northern Virginia high schools will rehearse Friday evening and enjoy an a cappella performance by a James Madison University group. On Saturday, they will perform in concert, which is open to the public.

"I think it's going to be an excellent experience to sing with a lot of guys 'cause we're always kind of shorthanded on guys," said Kyle Palentino, a senior at Monacan who began taking chorus in middle school.

He was practicing yesterday with the male choir for next week. The rehearsal included "Brothers Sing On!" and "For the Longest Time."

"I love singing in front of people and kind of showing off a bit," he said.

Miller said there are nearly twice as many girls as boys in choir.

"There's typically a stereotype that goes along with the guys who sing," he said. Some boys, he said, "perceive it as not being manly and masculine."

Another issue that can keep men out of the choir is their voice change, Miller said.

"We all start off with the same voice, and in middle and early high school, the vocal cords thicken and they lengthen, and their voices are lower," he said.

Miller assigns his students to interview other students to find out why they would or would not join the choir, and recruit at least one person each in the process.

Last year, about 55 male singers from the Richmond area participated in the concert, Miller said. This year, the invitation was expanded statewide, he said. There will be individual performances by schools and then the entire group will sing five songs.

Monacan senior Matt Mullens said last year's concert had a great impact on him.

"I found it really encouraging," he said. "It's really rare to see that big of a male choir."
Contact Juan Antonio Lizama at (804) 649-6513 or .