Hannah Baleme/MDN Lindsay Kerzmann, director of the Change of Pace Singers, announces the group’s performance to Minot Sertoma Club members at the Sleep Inn on Monday.

The Christmas season is the busiest time of the year for the Change of Pace Singers from Minot High School-Magic City Campus. They spend multiple days every week going to area service club meetings singing Christmas songs.

“We will be at Jim Hill, Edison, and First International Bank this week and City Hall next week,” said Lindsay Kerzmann, director of the Change of Pace Singers. “We love doing fun Christmas events. We have an entire Christmas set that we do and it’s always so much fun.”

Everything the group sings is a capella. During Christmastime, they do a lot of well-known Christmas songs such as “The Grinch” and “Feliz Navidad.” “The kids also like to find some fun songs and every once in a while we will try to incorporate it into the performance.” said Kerzmann.

On Monday afternoon, the Change of Pace Singers performed for Sertoma Club members at the Sleep Inn.

A select group of junior and senior high school singers from Magic City Campus, they audition for Change of Pace Singers while in the 10th grade.

The group performs locally at games, meetings and for different organizations such as Sertoma Club and Rotary Club in Minot.

Taj Baang, a senior at Magic City Campus and member of the Change of Pace Singers, explained the audition process as rigorous. “During the audition we have to sing a major scale straight and a minor scale. After that we go through some excerpts and do exercises,” said Baang.

Baang said he appreciates how everyone in the ensemble pushes themselves to try to be better. “Everyone wants to be better. There’s not a single Change of Pace member that is lazy or does not want to be the best version of themself,” said Baang.

Baang plans to continue to sing in the future while in college.

Ruby Main, also a senior at Magic City Campus, started with Change of Pace last year. She is grateful for all the opportunities it has provided her.

“I like that we can be independent and learn new things that we would not necessarily be able to do in our bigger choirs,” said Main.

“I’m not quite sure if I’ll always continue singing after I graduate but I can’t just quit cold turkey,” she said.

“We sing the national anthem at a couple local tennis, basketball and hockey games. During Christmas we sing at hotels or wherever people hold Christmas meetings,” said Main.

There may be a change coming for the group.

Magic City Campus is splitting into two schools next fall. There will be Minot High School and Minot North. Kerzmann said as of now, the theory is that auditions will be held at both high schools.“We’re not quite sure what it’s going to look like next year but changes are on the way,” said Kerzmann.

She said the best part of directing Change of Pace is watching relationships form and seeing the members become close with each other. “They also get to learn so many different types of music that we don’t normally do in choir or other ensembles. It’s fun to take them out in these kinds of environments and watch them learn how to make small talk to adults. They perform so well,” said Kerzmann.