‘Shot in the arm’ for vocal students

Despite the massive budget cuts handed down to schools in the past year, some local teachers are still finding ways to introduce and keep innovative programs in place.

Joe Kral, a music teacher at Edison High School who’s taught for 30 years, has several projects in the works thanks to state grant windfalls and the tireless efforts of the school’s choir boosters.

Kral’s newest project is Take Charge, a nine-girl a cappella group that will perform R&B;, jazz and other types of music on the road.

He conducted auditions this week, and said the turnout has been very good.

Last year was the first time the district agreed to give honors credit to advanced choir singers, something Kral has worked on for years, he said.

“That was a huge shot in the arm,” he said. “Obviously, a lot of kids wanted honors classes but also wanted to sing.”

In the past, students were required to pick and choose between their college application and their passion.

“The hardest part for vocal music now is that there are so many offerings,” Kral said. “You have a lot of kids who want to take it, but somehow can’t.”

Many of the students who auditioned for Take Charge aren’t in Kral’s choir class, as they were unable to fit it into their schedules.

Junior Arianna Strickland, 16, is in her second year singing with Kral. Arianna, who writes her own songs, says music is what makes her happy.

“We sing everything from chants to hip hop in choir,” she said. “[Kral] just wants us to get a taste of all different types of music.”

Strickland said Kral is a great teacher.

“He’s really funny,” she said. “He likes keeping things different.”

She encouraged both boys and girls to try out for choir.

Senior Marion Armijo, 17, also auditioned for Take Charge.

“I sing for my church choir a lot, and I thought it would be good to sing in a group at school,” she said.

Her first school choir experience was in elementary school, where she stood in the back; since then, she’s developed the aspiration to be a church worship leader. She’s currently taking Kral’s music theory class.

Freshman Kelsey Brookfield, 14, tries out for as many opportunities as possible, she said.

“I’ve always liked to sing, and this is a chance to sing even more,” she said.

She wants to be a writer or singer when she grows up.

She was joined at the audition by fellow freshman Kyra Jensen, 13, who also enjoys singing.

Kral comes in during zero period to work with his students, although he isn’t paid by the school during that time.

New musical theater offerings allow students at Edison to put on musicals as well; in the past, only the district’s magnet art school could put on the shows.

After a longtime wood shop teacher retired, the school looked at the wood shop program’s declining enrollment and opted to turn the space occupied by the wood shop into a black box theater for its students.

State grants have allowed the performing arts department to producer state-of-the-art sound equipment, wireless microphones and other luxuries that can be shared between disciplines.

“Everybody benefits,” Kral said.

CANDICE BAKER can be reached at (949) 494-5480 or at candice.baker@latimes.com.