by Andraya Hamilton

Reedley High School offers four choir classes-Beginning Men’s Choir, Beginning Women’s Choir, Concert Choir, and Madrigals, all taught by Mr. Randy Lepp. Concert Choir is made up of fifty young men and women and Madrigals is a group of the top performing choir students. This year’s group is made up of about eighteen students, all of whom are remarkable in their talents.

After talking to both Mr. Lepp and some of the choir students, I realized that the young men and women making up these classes are doing more than taking a class to get the grade. Each and every student gives their all, contributing their time and effort to making the year memorable.

RHS Choir 2013

RHS Senior, Bernadette Tasy said, “Mr. Lepp is a great teacher so all of his students really love working with him.” The students gave the unanimous opinion that Mr. Lepp is an amazing teacher who gives his all to his students, cares about all of them and whom they respect and appreciate.

Mr. Lepp and the choir students really enjoy the Spring Concert and the Disneyland trip. This year’s choir has been practicing several Disney songs for the Spring Concert, and all of the students are really looking forward to performing. Mr. Lepp has said that the talent level of the students in the past five years has been outstanding, which makes his job easier. “If the student’s attitudes are good and they are motivated, any class at any level is fun to teach. Also, picking the right music makes the job easier!”

Two of Mr. Lepp’s most memorable moments were when Madrigals sang the Glee version of “Lean on Me” at the 2010 graduation. “They rocked the stadium and the crowd went wild,” he said. The second most memorable moment was last year, when Madrigals sang the Jazz piece “Smack Dab in the Middle”, accompanied by the RHS Jazz Band in the Spring Concert. Some of the students’ best memories include the 2010-11 school year. Eighteen of the twenty Madrigals were brand new members, but the group was still really talented and they all gave their best effort to be amazing, which they accomplished.

Mr. Lepp attended Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas, where he graduated with a double major in Choral Music and History. He then went to Fresno Pacific, where he received his California Teaching Credential. His father was a Choir Director, his mother a gifted piano and organ player, so he grew up in a musical household. When asked what made him want to become a high school music teacher, he answered, “I really enjoyed singing in choir in high school and decided by my junior year that I wanted to be a high school choral director.”

Check out our local teacher profile on Randy Lepp.

Andraya Hamilton is a senior at Reedley High School, where she is taking several AP classes & is the president and founder of the Book Club. Andraya plans to attend a university on the East Coast, major in English, and someday become an editor/publisher.