TORRINGTON – Kaitlyn Fody, choral teacher at both Torrington Middle and High School, didn’t have time to teach another course.

Between sixth grade music, a seventh and eighth grade choir, an advanced choir, a women’s choir and a concert choir, she was spread thin. But THS’ male choral students wanted a men’s choir.  

“The women’s choir has really come a long way in the past few years, and the boys came to me and said ‘why can’t we do a men’s choir?’” Fody said. “That’s where it started. It was really them.”

As the boys tell it, they “marched” into the school’s office and asked if they could make it happen. Fody said she along with Principal Chase Christensen and Assistant Principal Dave Plendl made it work, scheduling the class during the day’s flex period, after she returns from the middle school.

“They’re a really great group of boys,” Fody said. “The situation is fun because of the kids we have in there. Anytime you have a class where kids like to be there and want to go to it, it’s just different.”

Emanuel Bustamante is the only senior in the class of 11 students. He said he’s wanted to join a men’s choir throughout high school, and he finally had the chance in his final year.

“We went to a district honor choir and I was part of the men’s group. It really opened my mind to the possibilities of what we could do as a men’s choir,” Bustamante said. 

The group had their first performance in October in the gymnasium due to COVID-19 health orders, a different setting for performers used to an auditorium and a stage. Each singer was roughly eight feet apart, Fody said.

“That’s a huge room to try to sing in,” she said. 

Singing while wearing masks was a challenge at first, but it’s ultimately helped them and the other choirs, too, according to Fody.

“The masks and social distancing have almost been a tool for us, because the kids have had to be confident in their own singing instead of relying on the group around them, because they can’t hear each other,” she said. “I would say that it actually has made each one of them, individually, a better singer.”

The men’s choir is currently preparing for their Christmas concert. One number will involve kazoos, which Bustamante said he is most excited about. Junior Devin River said the music the men’s choir sings is “uplifting,” his favorite piece being “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

“It’s really fun,” River said. “The way we had to do (the concert) was very weird, but it was almost normal. Especially for men’s choir being very new, it almost kind of felt like it wasn’t going to happen.”

Junior Aidyn Saucedo said it took “a lot of convincing” to get Fody to take on another class, and he is grateful it worked out.

“It’s just mainly to have fun and to make memories, more of them, and create new friendships,” he said.

Fody said after not singing for six months due to COVID-19, masks and social distancing is worth it for her and her class to be able to make music.

“The music program here in general, kids are dedicated to doing it,” she said. “They just find themselves at home here.”

The THS men’s choir will have their next concert Dec. 17 with the women’s choir, advanced choir and concert bands.