Tiffany Egler
Wheaton Alum 11'
Assistant Choir Director
Just a few months ago, we were given the great opportunity to sing the National Anthem at Wheaton's McCulley Stadium for a football game. As a gospel choir, we made sure to put our spin on the song as you'll hear on the video. Practicing for the National Anthem was pretty fast paced because the majority of the students already knew the words and the basic melody. My mother, Director Tanya Egler, often does rearranging in the car while running errands, so I'm pretty positive that's how she came up with the arrangement we sang. She decided to give the song a more upbeat and celebratory feel while maintaining a bit of the traditional delivery of the song with a more choral gospel feel at the end. The beat was a little different, the delivery was a little different, but the essence of the song remains the same. We ended rehearsal before the game a little bit early to give time to walk to the field and get situated. Everyone was excited to sing and show some Wheaton Thunder pride. We had a great time singing and cheering on our team.
As we prepare for each semester musically, we definitely listen for the Lord's leading. We look for music that fits the style of our choir, engages our audiences, and most importantly, glorifies God. We stay updated by singing the latest music in Gospel music such as Israel Houghton's Everywhere that I Go, but we also incorporate traditional songs like Oh Happy Day by Edwin Hawkins to keep our repertoire broad and diverse just like the body of Christ. These songs proclaim God's truth and are just plain fun to sing. GC is all about glorifying the Lord, reaching out to others, and having a great time doing it. It only makes sense that the music we sing would do the same. That's what we aim for every semester.
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