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Expansion plan has them singing for joy Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Phoenix High School music teacher Mike Wraight, right, works with the cast of "The Pajama Game" in the school�s tiny choir room, also known on campus as the "choir closet." Phoenix High�s choir program and drama students will get more space when bond money is spent on expansion and renovation over the next year. Phoenix High choir room makeover will get $100,000-$150,000 of voter-approved bond By DAMIAN MANN PHOENIX � Often choir teacher Durene Putney feels like the woman who lived in a shoe. Her smelly, undersized classroom � once a storage area at Phoenix High School � is stuffed with 50 sweaty bodies, inhaling and exhaling. Throw in a desk, a piano, a sound system, a half-dozen file cabinets and 80 robes and you can sense the frustration that both the teacher and award-winning choir feel as they practice. "The choir room stinks," complained 16-year-old Tai Sammons. "There are no windows � we�re basically sitting in a storage room." Chrystal Morgan, 17, said, "With all those bodies, the room just smells." Putney said, "The room smells because we have poor circulation. Singing is an aerobic activity so you need plenty of air and ventilation." Odor problems notwithstanding, the room � smaller than a typical classroom for 30 students � has hard walls and a low ceiling, causing singers to occasionally bump their heads, but also making it difficult for students to practice properly. "We have a choir room where you feel smooshed, and it makes it feel like your voice is smooshed," said 18-year-old Zeb Tolman. "It�s important to have a sense of openness where you can get plenty of air." Compared to other districts in Jackson County, Putney said she has had to suffer with a room that is basically inhospitable for the angelic voices of her students, who have won many awards, including those at the state level. "The room is very bright sounding with the hard cement block walls," she said. "It is deafening and confusing for the students." Other districts have an office for the teacher and rooms to store the robes and musical materials. "This room should be three times the size," she said. Putney is hoping that help will arrive soon. Voters approved about $16 million in bonds last year, and $100,000 to $150,000 will be set aside to expand the room, known on campus as the "choir closet." Phoenix-Talent School District business manager Doug Spani said that the project is still in the architectural design phase and the exact dimensions of the proposed expansion haven�t been finalized. The plans call for expansion of the room and improvements made to its acoustics. In the meantime, Putney will have to make do with what she�s got. "Given the facilities we have here, we have managed not to succumb to the level of the facility itself," she said. "The kids work all year and don�t use the room as an excuse, even though it�s a bum room to use." The difficulty for students is that they learn to project their voice according to the size of the room. "When you�re in a small class, you don�t project your voice as much," said Morgan. As a result, the students have to relearn their songs in the auditorium area, which is also used by the drama department. "It takes a lot of retraining to get the students used to the bigger space," said Putney. Many of the students in Putney�s class will graduate before the remodeling is completed, either this summer or next. "It will be really cool getting a new choir room," said 16-year-old Shelly Cox. "It is definitely time." Despite the difficulties with the room, students have performed very well. They competed against schools in Southern Oregon recently, and three students were honored. Sophomore Michelle Cox placed first in the alto classification, senior Teresa Elkin placed second in the soprano division and senior Zeb Tolman finished as an alternate in the tenor classification. Seven of the choir students were chosen for the Oregon All-State Honor Choir, which performed in Eugene this January: Michelle Cox, Teresa Elkin, Zeb Tolman, Gaelen Thurow, Cassie Tolman, Gabe Kelly and Sterling Ford. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.