SOUTHERN COLORADO -- Glee clubs aren't a new invention. Neither are jazz choirs, acapella ensembles, or vocal ensembles. But, with the show Glee in its second season and continuing as one of the most watched shows on television, many schools are noticing a rise in popularity.
"I think more people are in it now, because of Glee. It gives you more confidence," Emily Campbell, a sophomore at Palmer Ridge High School, said. "I know it definitely gave me a little more confidence to do it, but I don't think I joined because of it."
Many students have similar mindsets to Campbell, where they've noticed a rise, but no one would say they joined simply because of the show. Rose Dunphey, Palmer Ridge's choral director, hopes that it's because of classes like hers that make the show popular.
"Maybe the fact that classes like this exist is part of the success of Glee and not the other way around," Dunphey said.
For schools like Rampart High School, however, the reason their Glee club exists is entirely because of the show. Two of the students, and members of the group, are actually the founders. They came to the vocal department's teacher, Allison Lee, with an idea. Their school, which has 'Discovery Time,' gives students interested in singing and dancing about half an hour in the mornings to perform for fellow members.
"We didn't really start it until this year, so whenever it came on, it was such... it just boomed," founder Schylar Tarvin said. "We didn't think we could get that many people to sign up."
Lee said there were so many students wanting to sign up, the administrators had to close off the class. For any Glee fan, they know this is actually the exact opposite of the show where the students grasp for new members and are often ridiculed for being a part of the club. Lee said they've found a way to combat that.
"We just make sure what we perform is good, and then we don't get made fun of," Lee said.
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