Maestro on the Mat

The sound of music fills the halls outside Room D-104 at El Camino Real High.

Inside, Terry Fischer patiently guides third-period chorus through a medley of Disney show tunes.

“OK, sopranos only, now,” Fischer said. “Ladies, sing nicely. Guys, go back to sleep. Ready? . . .”

“When you wish upon a star. . .”

In a few hours, the tempo will change and Fischer will switch from tutoring tenors and basses to teaching the finer points of holding a headlock on an opponent for the better part of six minutes.

But many of his students will be same.

Fischer, 45, choral director and wrestling coach at El Camino Real, has flourished in both roles, bridging athletics and the arts while building strong programs at both ends of campus.

Fischer’s choir students include shortstops, distance runners and members of the academic decathlon team. Over the years, many of the school’s top athletes have sung for Fischer, including pitcher Randy Wolf and running back Quincy Wright.

Of course, there have always been wrestlers. This year’s chorus includes about a dozen, a few of whom aren’t bad baritones.

“It is kind of a funny mix,” Fischer said during a break in classes. “I say to the other coaches, ‘You should beat us. I’m the choir director.’ ”

Maybe so. But Fischer’s seven-year reign has produced four City Section titles, including the last two, not to mention countless bus rides of singing wrestlers.

“The whole team was singing on the way home from Monroe the other night,” Fischer said. “They just do.”

This year’s team might not be Fischer’s strongest, and San Fernando will provide a formidable challenge at the City finals Feb. 27 at Monroe.

But how many opponents can carry a tune?

Jamar Cargo of El Camino Real, second in the City as a sophomore last season at 189 pounds, is 24-2 and a favorite at that weight this season.

Problem is, Cargo has missed two tournaments because of rehearsals. Cargo recently landed the starring role of Tevya in the campus musical production of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Between bouts, Cargo studies his lines and works with Fischer to sharpen his pitch. Weeks of rehearsals will culminate with performances in May.

“He didn’t know I could sing until the day I auditioned,” Cargo said. “But it takes a lot of dedication and a lot of work. I hope it goes all right. I’ve never done this.”

Fischer for years has performed in a variety of church and community choirs and is involved in about 10 concerts a year. He also attends about two wrestling tournaments or clinics per month throughout the year.

“Most of the friends I’ve met in life I’ve met through choral music,” Fischer said. “You work so hard on what you’re doing, you build friendships.”

Singing brought Fischer together with Holly Welch, a screenplay editor and his wife of 17 years.

The couple remain members of their church choir.

“He’s the one who got me into it,” Welch said. “So, we spend a lot of time there. But he doesn’t spend as much time singing as he would like to.”

Fischer’s schedule might be full, but that only means he’s happy enough to sing. And he will with little prodding.

“I come from a musical family,” Fischer said. “We always watched musicals on television and we always sang.”

In 1972, Fischer was a sophomore heavyweight at Moorpark College and heavily involved in performing arts. He made it to the state tournament at Skyline College in San Bruno but was defeated in the final round.

After the meet, while the team traveled by bus to visit Fisherman’s Wharf in nearby San Francisco, Fischer broke the silence with an a Capella rendition of “Yesterday.”

“The guys were always saying to him, ‘Let’s hear you sing,’ ” recalled John Keever, former Moorpark coach. “So, he would. I will always remember it. It was classic. Terry was a very talented young man.”

He wasn’t a bad athlete, either. Fischer, who attended Simi Valley High, went from Moorpark to University of the Pacific on a football scholarship.

Fischer was an all-conference tackle at Moorpark.

“I was probably a better wrestler than I was a football player,” Fischer said. “But really, I wasn’t that good. I just worked very hard. I’m a better singer than an athlete because it all boils down to what you inherit.”

The bell sounds, bringing another group of students into Fischer’s room. They begin singing “The Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah. Fischer cocks his ear and gives instructions.

“OK, sopranos and altos now. Ready? Concentrate.”