Growing up, Lowell Hicks first learned to play the xylophone and appreciated music, a discipline and passion he devoted his life to, teaching students in Jordan and Granite school districts. The 104-year-old musician died in 2018, but his legacy still lives on when students and alumni gather in Bingham High’s auditorium to sing the school hymn.

Hicks added the music to Bingham English teacher Robert Knotts’ lyrics, “Dreams of Bingham High,” which was adopted in 1954, during Hicks’ tenure at the legacy high school.

Current and past choir members and directors spent an evening remembering 70 years of the hymn, filled with music and memories.

“We’ll always remember the blue and the white, and faces so tender and dear.”

That night, Bingham students, wearing choir T-shirts in school colors, met alumni in the school auditorium. Many there picked up where they left off, maybe from the previous year or perhaps from years back. Many choir members had sung together all three years of their high school careers, others, like sophomore Abigail Dixon’s mother, Tiffany, were excited for their child’s first concert and the memories that will unfold in the upcoming years.

“We’ll always remember the stars in the night that shine on our campus so clear.”

A glowing memory amongst many in attendance is the annual candlelight concert. Music softly surrounds the auditorium as Bingham choir members walk the aisles to the stage, holding flickering candles. It symbolizes the start of the holiday season and patrons await the decades-long tradition of music leaders lighting grand candelabras. 

To many, the candlelight concert epitomizes the importance of upholding traditions. Hicks himself was awarded the Candlelight Service Award in 1991 for his outstanding service to Bingham High.

Ryan North directed the school choir for nine years, beginning in 2015.

“I love the candlelight concert; I always thought it was incredible to be part of this larger tradition,” he said. “I thought, this is the 87th year we’ve done it and it goes way back before any of us were here. It’ll continue long after we are gone. It’s one of the coolest things about being at the school that has been around since 1908. It’s amazing to be part of that legacy; it’s quite a blessing.”

Logan Bingham, who became director this year and organized the reunion concert, continued the tradition. He directed this school year’s concert on Dec. 18, 2023.

“We’ll always remember the laughs and the smiles and the struggles and sorrows and tears.”

During this choir reunion, many friendships were rekindled and memories shared.

Kerrin Gates directed 250 students in six choirs during each year at Bingham from 2008 to 2014, yet when Jacob Sherman and Maureen Hatch, both of the class of 2015, approached her, she immediately recognized them.

Sherman, who performs in local musical productions, remembered Gates believed in him.

“When I was a sophomore, she had an audition choir (vocal jazz) and I was the only tenor,” he said. “I did not think that I was capable of doing that, but she put me in a place that gave me the confidence to do that and more.”

Hatch has continued her love of music to become the assistant conductor for the Salt Lake Choral Artists. 

Gates gives credit to her predecessors in establishing a strong program with some wonderful traditions, but also gives tribute to the students.

“My biggest favorite memory here is all the kids — getting to know young people and how to work with them and to inspire them to reach their potential,” she said. “There are many different aspects to it to being a teacher and a teacher in the performing arts discipline, but I was lucky. I always had the best students; they were so genuine in their giving, giving their energy in helping and supporting each other.”

One thing she reminisced about was starting the Singing Valentines. 

“The kids really enjoyed those,” Gates said. “It was a fun tradition that we started as a fundraiser. It wasn’t incredibly lucrative, but it did get a lot of exposure for the choirs, and we had some students join choir because of that.”

Katie Troff and Cody Harman, who both graduated in 2013, fondly remember those.

“People can buy a valentine for someone else, and we would go sing to those people,” Harman said. “It was a full day of Singing Valentines.”

Troff said it was fun to surprise people.

“They wouldn’t know that you were coming,” she said. “We’d put them in a chair in front of everyone and sing. My friend and I bought one for our U.S. History teacher (Brett Boberg) because we knew it would make him super embarrassed when we all sang to him.”

They had fond memories of socials, playing Spoons and hanging out together, but a not-so-fond recount of the state competition their senior year.

“In the middle of our performance, we had all gotten off and progressively, we got worse. We had to stop and start over,” Harman said.

It was not typical for the performers.

“We practiced so hard, and we had gotten a perfect score in the festival leading up to it,” Troff said. “We just got psyched out right before we went on and we got so off pitch, it was horrible. It was embarrassing. Our score was awful. We knew that song, but we just totally failed.”

It wasn’t the only time for Bingham choirs. 

Gates remembers at an acapella choir festival, her group had a staggered entrance — only the first singers didn’t come in, then the next missed their entrance as well.

“We stopped and backed up. I was racking my brain in that moment trying to come up with a good place to start and figured I’d back up to the solo. My brain didn’t remember that there had been a huge key change, but I gave the student a pitch for the solo. He did it and the choir followed. We finished and it went well because they fixed it together as a group,” she said.

LeAnna Willmore directed the choirs from 1991 to 1999 and remembered a misstep.

“We were singing ‘Feller from Fortune’ and it’s a meter song, one that has a constant switch of meters,” she said. 

At one place, they made a mistake.

“We just went on. We all knew we missed it. But we got a I (top score) at the festival. The judge said, ‘It’s OK if you miss one beat,’” Willmore said.

She had taught Jolene Dalton Gailey as a music student, but her pupil succeeded her directing Bingham choirs for seven years. 

Gailey started musical productions at the school serving as both the drama and the choir director. 

“I did all the music, the staging, the building effects, the orchestra. I did everything for the first couple musicals on top of teaching,” she said about those early productions of “The Music Man,” “Oklahoma,” “Damn Yankees,” “Anything Goes” and “Guys and Dolls.” “Musicals are great for kids. It brings all different cross sections for the production — students to build a two-story, 60-foot wide ship on that stage for their friends to sing and dance in costumes other students created. It really brings the school together.”

She also directed large choral works.

“Instead of seven or eight different pieces for a concert, we did large choral works, usually with accompaniment other than just the piano,” she said. “I wanted my students to achieve greatness at a level where they could be considered peers of adult choirs. My kids had the attitude where they would jump right in. Those are the greatest memories, being able to achieve something that was so fine and so musically pleasing and fulfilling.”

“But though we may travel o’er many strange miles”

Every director recounted choir tour unforgettable memories. Gailey’s was when the band, orchestra and choir traveled to Vancouver, B.C.

“Back then, Jordan School District would not let us sleep outside of the United States. So, we slept in Blaine, Washington, and every day drove back into Vancouver. That meant we’d pack up and drive to Vancouver, do our thing, and return to Blaine for the night, but it was a great trip,” she said.

Gates remembers Disneyland tours. 

“They got to be backstage, singing along with the animation,” she said. “It was a great experience. But honestly, all of it was fun. I think when we weren’t doing the organized activities was the most memorable.”

North said taking 135 teenagers on a New York City subway is something he’ll always remember.

“Every tour is memorable. Maybe the most memorable one was the one that never happened in 2020,” he said. “Everything was planned; all the money had been paid. We’re a week away from leaving (when it was cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic protocols). One of the best things about tour for a teacher is the end of the tour when you can say, ‘OK, it’s done.’ That year was the worst because I did all the planning for it and it never happened. Instead, I spent the next six months dealing with the fallout of getting refunds.”

Bingham, the current director, wants to continue building the program with the alumni’s support.

“The choir program is thriving,” he said. “I’d like to get the choirs out singing at a lot of places and hopefully, sing at some national conferences for choir directors.”

“We’ll always remember in May and September, Bingham High as our happiest years.”

Through the years, the school hymn has been sung at assemblies and concerts. 

Gailey said the “Dreams of Bingham High” was a big tradition during her tenure.

“The whole audience stood up when I was there, and the entire student body crossed arms and held hands while singing, being led by the Madrigals,” she said.

Harman, who attended the school a few years later, remembered being on stage and “everyone used their hands to do the ‘pick and shovel’ while we were singing.”

Willmore is credited for the modern arrangement.

“I love Bingham High, the traditions that are honored and the importance of them,” she said.

North, and even Bingham, have revised the hymn.

North, who looked at the original manuscript, said he “restored” some things, but also on the last phrase, “Bingham High as our happiest years” he changed the major chord on the school name to a minor chord.

“I thought, how appropriate to have Bingham in a ‘Miner’ chord,” he said with a chuckle. “There are a lot of good memories and traditions here. I love the fact we have a school hymn here and the community support for the choir.”

Bingham then led the choir, retired directors, alumni and guests in singing the sweet melody of “Dreams of Bingham High.”  λ