Baltimore student choir goes viral with solfege renditions of Beyoncé, Michael Jackson

A Baltimore student choir is racking up millions of views on social media with its unique renditions of popular songs by Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill and Beyoncé.

During the summer, a dozen voices filled ConneXions Academy, a community-based arts school, as students prepared for a major competition.

But in the viral videos, the spotlight is on Brandon Booth, the school's choral instructor and arts department chair, as he leads students through solfege versions of some of their favorite songs.

Solfege is a music-teaching method that uses syllables to represent notes on a musical scale.

Booth said the idea came from a student earlier this year, who suggested recreating popular hits and theme songs using solfege.

"When D'Angelo passed away, I did '[Untitled] How Does It Feel,'" Booth said.

But the choir's views surged after the group recorded a song requested by one of its students.

"He'll sit here and he'll be like, 'So, y'all, what are we singing today?'" said Tiyonia Smith, a senior at ConneXions Academy. "And I'm very adamant, like, 'Hey, let's sing this today.'"

How a simple warm-up became a viral hit

Here's how it works: Booth writes each harmony on sheet music and rehearses with one vocal section at a time.

"We get about three to five minutes maybe altogether. Then, I simply press film," Booth said.

The result is a short video showcasing the choir's intricate harmonies.

The exercise also helps Booth teach students sight-reading, a skill they are tested on each year.

"It's really a classroom experience that everyone is getting," Booth said.

"It's been really fun," Smith said. "I love everyone's supportiveness and the adults saying they wish they could sing like this or they wish they can do this and seeing other choirs also hop onto it."

Milton Jackson, who graduated from ConneXions Academy in 2024, said singing with the choir has challenged him to expand his vocal range. He sometimes moves between vocal parts to fill gaps when the group is missing singers in a particular section.

"I will move up from Tenor 2 to Tenor 1 or I'll move down," Jackson said. "It's a lot of variety. It's a lot of changes."

From viral videos to the world stage

But the viral videos offer only a glimpse of what the choir can do. The students also perform songs in multiple languages and are preparing to compete against choirs from around the world in Barcelona.

"We're doing the worldwide competition because we're used to doing the national competition," Booth said.

Booth said the choir has won first place at national competitions over the past four years.

"Normally, we are the only all-Black choir at the competition, and we're also the smallest choir," Booth said.

Throughout the summer, the students rehearsed pieces in languages including Latin and German for Sing for Gold 2026, the World Choral Cup, scheduled for October.

"I never thought I would learn language pieces like singing in German, singing in Latin, singing in French, singing in Mandarin," Jackson said.

Booth said the music presents a challenge, with complex harmonies and arrangements.

"Atonal harmonies sometimes," Booth said. "Sometimes, 8 parts, sometimes 12 parts."

Showcasing Baltimore's talent abroad

For the students and alumni helping the choir, the trip will also mark their first time traveling outside the country.

Smith hopes to exchange ideas and learn from other performers.

"Some new techniques, some breath support," she said.

Booth said he wants his students to experience a different culture while showcasing Baltimore's talent and the excellence the school works to cultivate.

"It's really about the excellence that we have because that's what we try to nurture in our school building," Booth said.