The Power and Glory of Song

Largo Choir of Prince George's Celebrates Faith, Preps Students for Life

Choir director Jeremiah Murphy hones the Largo High School Choir for this weekend's New York performances, including one for West Point cadets. (Photos By Marvin Joseph -- The Washington Post)

The challenge was to perfect "Battle Hymn of the Republic" before the Largo High School Choir traveled to New York to perform before the uniforms at West Point.

To achieve the goal, choir director Jeremiah Murphy called in reinforcements in the person of the Rev. Nolan Williams Jr., who oversees music at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Northwest Washington.

While Williams coached the sopranos and altos, Murphy, who has recorded three CDs on his own label, took the tenors, basses and baritones.

"I'm not feeling your glory!" Williams told his group.

"You've got to prepare yourself before you sing," Murphy challenged his.

Two hours later, the song was working. The girls' high notes sounded like angel-speak and the boys' low tones were as smooth as butter.

"Yeah!" boomed Murphy, in his trademark rich baritone, pointing skyward as if to acknowledge the involvement of a higher being. "That's what I'm talking about!"

Singing in the choir is a rite of passage for some black teenagers, particularly in Prince George's County, where several high schools boast choruses good enough to take their shows far beyond the school auditorium. Many of the county's choristers sing at churches, community centers and in competitions across the Washington region. Early yesterday, the Largo choir boarded buses for New York to perform four concerts in three days.

For many students, the choir becomes more than just a school activity. It can be a distraction that helps to keep them out of trouble and a stepping stone to a career.

"There is a tremendous kind of nurturing involved in being involved in a youth choir," Williams said. "When you think of the number of careers and ministries that have been launched out of choirs, it is amazing.

"If you randomly polled pop artists and asked how many belonged to a church choir or school choir, more than 75 percent would say they did, including singers like Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and [the late] Donny Hathaway."

Murphy, who has ushered thousands of young men and women through high school in his 17 years at Largo, said he has never had to break up a fight in his choir room. Many of his students have graduated to go on to careers in music, and even more have used their choir experience to get into college.