Award-winning Selma High School choir preps for Christmas concert

You could hear the singing from the hallway at Selma High School, then when you enter the choir room, the singing and the music surround you and lift you up like a magic carpet.  

Choir director and conductor Colin Lett was proud of the Selma High School Choir students when they made it to the finals of the Alabama Association of School Boards competition.

“The kids tried so hard, and I am very proud of them.” Lett said, then he tapped on the piano and everyone stood in attention. 

Now it’s time for the students to prepare for their Christmas Concert, which will take place on Dec. 9 at 4 p.m. in the high school’s auditorium. 

The students launched into their songs. If you closed your eyes and listened, you might as well have been in Carnegie Hall. Maybe they do possess magic! 

For Lett, who has taught music at Selma High School for five years, his choir is as good as any in the state. 

“Selma is home, and I love teaching here. I love to pour music and songs into these kids who grew up where I grew up. You hear all the negative things about crime and such, but I tell you, there’s a lot of hope in my classroom every day. This hope does not get the publicity the negative things do, but yeah, lots of hope . . . every day,” Lett said. 

Lett prefers to look at his choir as ‘Ambassadors’ of goodwill and of all things positive. He does have big plans. In April of this coming year, the Selma High School Choir will travel to Nashville to participate in the Choirs of America Choral Festival. 

Lett tells why he teaches, “I do it because I love these kids, and I love the music. I love for them to experience the joy and happiness music brings. It’s so rewarding to watch these kids bare their souls as they sing. That is what I aspire to the most when I’m teaching,” Lett said. “To watch them achieve this is beyond description.” 

Lett thrives on his students sharing their talents with the world and finding their true selves. Two of those students consider the choir instrumental in their school life. 

“As the soprano section leader, I like the challenge the choir has been. It’s not easy, but I love learning the songs and knowing about their origins,” sophomore Jamiah Williams said. 

Another student has been singing since he was three-years-old. 

“I love choir, and how the sound comes out as a blend of all the different sections. It’s also cool how the notes flow with each other to form songs,” sophomore Jorian Williams said. 

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