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Piute choir, wearing ripped jeans and shirts with the logos of rock and roll bands on them, claps and smiles at their rock concert under the direction of Tyrel Ivie.

The Seventh Annual Piute Rock and Roll Concert

Piute High School is known for many things. One of their most well-known events is their Rock and Roll choir concert. Piute’s choir teacher, Tyrel Ivie, has put on this out-of-the-box show for seven years and still did not disappoint! Seventeen songs were showcased, six of which were solos performed by students. Accompanying the high school choir was the band, the 8eez. Fun, upbeat songs graced the crowd as everyone went down memory lane.

Classic sing-along songs like “Celebration” by Kool & Gang, “Material Girl” by Madonna, “The Final Countdown” by Europe and “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey were all a part of the show. The students sang the songs with passion, danced along to some and continued the tradition of wearing funky sunglasses.

Makayla Miramontes stands at the microphone wearing a Nirvana shirt. With both hands on the microphone, she sings.
Makayla Miramontes sings “Material Girl” by Madonna. Courtesy of Rachel Hockett.
Kinley Shakespear walks along the stage singing with a free microphone held to her face.
Kinley Shakespear struts across the stage as she sings “It’s the Final Countdown” by Europe. Courtesy of Rachel Hockett.

Maleigha Millett (senior), Makayla Miramontes (senior), Kinley Shakespear (senior), Sage Nowers (junior), Katie Snyder (senior) and Hadley Morgan (sophomore) all gave solo performances. Each of the girls sang with passion and each voice matched their song beautifully. With the instrumentation provided by the amazing members of the 8eez, each song enhanced the performance of the students. The concert had members of the audience clapping and singing along.

Kristin Vincent, an audience member said, “When Katie Snyder started belting out Pat Benatar’s Heartbreaker, I felt like my 55-year-old self was back in high school. This concert brings the community together, young and old, for a rockin’ good, headbanging, foot-tapping, fun night.”

Katie Snyder moves her hands with feeling as she sings at the microphone in front of the choir.
Katie Snyder sings her heart out during her solo “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar. Courtesy of Ari Hurdsman.

Holly Nowers, a math teacher at Piute High and mom of Sage said, “My favorite part was my daughter but … I love that it was so well attended. Mostly I love seeing Sage, Maleigha and Hadley as new soloists shine and completely rock their songs.”

Kristi Fautin, a mom, says “The rock concert is something we really get excited to go to and a great way to end the school year! The kids have such a fun time performing with a band. We’ve got some really talented kids and an awesome director that has brought some new and exciting classes and events to Piute.”

Good job to the choir students and Mr. Tyrel Ivie for putting on another great show. Be sure to check out next year’s concert if you missed this one!

by Ari Hurdsman

Feature image caption: The Piute choir claps and smiles during the opening of the seventh annual rock and roll concert. Courtesy of Rachel Hockett.


Ari Hurdsman – Junction

Ari Hurdsman is a junior journalist at the Byway. She just recently moved to Ephraim, Utah, where she is a freshman at Snow College. She enjoys writing about Piute sports, and she’s really good at it! In her free time, she enjoys singing, dancing, reading and hanging out with friends and family.