What’s in a Name?
If you’ve spent time around ETown’s choirs, you may have noticed that the group names aren’t random. In fact, they’re delightfully musical and intentionally pun-filled. Whether you’re a seasoned musician or someone who simply enjoys listening from the audience, there’s a fun story behind how ETown Minors, ETown Augmented, and ETown Extended got their names. Together, they form a playful trilogy of musical terminology, each reflecting both the spirit and role of the ensemble it represents.
The story begins with ETown Minors, the youth choir whose name carries a clever double meaning. In the world of music theory, a minor key is one of the main tonalities used in songs and compositions. While major keys often sound bright, cheerful, and triumphant, minor keys have a more emotional and expressive tone. They’re sometimes gentle, sometimes mysterious, and at other times, wonderfully dramatic. At the same time, the word minor refers to someone under the age of 18. So the name ETown Minors works on two levels: it’s rooted in music theory while perfectly describing a group of young singers exploring their early musical journey.
As the program grew, the next step was to name the adult choir and the music theory/pun tradition had to continue. The result was ETown Augmented, a title inspired directly by a bold little piece of music theory. In music, to augment something means to make it bigger, and an augmented chord does exactly that: it expands a familiar chord into something larger, brighter, and just slightly surprising. There’s a sense of lift and expansiveness to it. That musical idea mirrors the mission of the adult choir itself. Augmented is a larger ensemble strengthening the musical foundation, expanding the sound, and supporting the program both artistically and structurally. ETown Augmented represents growth and amplification, both in musicianship and in community impact.
The newest ensemble, ETown Extended, completes the trilogy with another musically inspired name; this time reflecting nuance and depth. In music, an extended chord adds additional tones beyond the standard harmony, creating rich, colourful textures often found in jazz, contemporary choral arrangements, and emotionally complex music. If a standard chord is like a reliable scoop of vanilla ice cream: solid, familiar, and foundational, an extended chord is more like a hot fudge sundae with extra harmony toppings: still grounded in the original flavour, but layered, interesting, and impossible not to savour. That description fits the ensemble beautifully. ETown Extended builds on the core sound of the choir family, and adds refinement, detail, and artistry through its smaller size and auditioned format.
Taken together, the three names feel like different chapters of the same musical adventure: one that begins simply, grows in size and confidence, and eventually explores bolder, more detailed harmonies. Yes, the names are absolutely clever musical jokes, but they also show how each group fits into the bigger picture. They’re a reminder that music doesn’t have to be serious to be meaningful, it can be creative, curious, a little nerdy, and full of fun. And honestly? We wouldn’t have it any other way.
