Theatre and choir teacher, Jeremy Cooley, led a harmonizing double life over the holiday season. By day he worked as a teacher, but outside of school he spread holiday cheer.
Cooley joined the acapella group WestBeat Sings eight years ago. His role in the group has been beatboxing. He’s spent almost every holiday season singing and performing with them since.
“I joined in 2017, but this is only my sixth season with them, because I wasn’t in it last year because of ‘Beauty And The Beast’ and a new job and being far away and all that, and in 2020 we couldn’t do anything because of the pandemic,” Cooley said.
His group normally performs every holiday season at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California, singing a mix of holiday songs and Disney songs.
“We have a medley of songs from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas,’ that also has music from ‘The Haunted Mansion’ interspersed through it, that’s my favorite to sing,” Cooley said.
His fellow WestBeat singers shared their thoughts about Cooley during their rehearsals. Some said they were impressed with how prepared he always was, while others described how he’s comforting, dedicated, and funny. His director, TJ Dawson, was also impressed with Cooley’s hard work.
“He’s inspiring because of the fact he’s able to juggle multiple parts and he always has a sense of calm and a positive demeanor,” Dawson said.
Cooley’s gotten a lot of support from the South Hills community. Many of Cooley’s students and fellow staff members went to Anaheim to watch his shows. Even Principal Terry Abernathy went out to support him. He shared that he really enjoyed the performance, and he was happy to be there and support Cooley.
“I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I can’t pinpoint one favorite song, but there were a couple songs where he had the lead which was awesome. It was very joyful and it was very Disney. I like seeing the authentic side and how they embraced where they were. It showed his ability to act, as well as sing. I think it was a great overall performance,” Abernathy said.
Head counselor Shawna Hansen saw a performance with her husband Bobby Hansen and her daughter.
“The show was energetic and entertaining. I think my favorite song was the one from ‘Moana’ because Cooley had a cool Maui part. It was really good. It was the most engaging with the audience,” Hansen said.
Many of Cooley’s students were eager to watch him perform.
“It was really interesting to see him working as a person rather than a teacher. It’s really cool, and I really support that for him. My favorite part was when they sang ‘Kiss The Girl’ from ‘The Little Mermaid’. I really like that song,” Josh Buenviaje (11) said.
Chloe Contreras (12) shared her experience, and coincidentally her favorite song was the same as Cooley’s.
“My favorite was the ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ mashup song. It was really cool and it made me smile a lot. Overall, it was thrilling and soothing. It touched a very theatrical part of my soul. It was something I didn’t know I needed in that moment,” Contreras said.
Students like Mia Martinez (10) really enjoyed the mix of Disney and holiday songs.
“It was magical and festive. They played ‘Once Upon A Dream’ and ‘Frosty The Snowman.’ Those were definitely highlights,” Martinez said.
Cooley’s friends, coworkers, and students were impressed with his WestBeat Sings performances, leaving them eagerly anticipating his next time on stage.
