Musically, my “peak” performance experiences have been with my high school band, the auditioned “Symphonic Winds”, as well as with my high school choirs, both the auditioned “Concert Choir” and the auditioned chamber group, “Alba Coro”. I would not say that I completed high school being as happy in those groups, as I was only there about once a week and, post-Covid, it was much harder to reinstate the quality of music previously present.
My tenth grade year, our Symphonic Winds performed at Ted Mann Hall, playing music from David Maslanka and Percy Grainger, among other composers. That year, our choir got to do a high school event with Voces8, a professional chamber group from Britain. The year before, our Concert Choir sang at MMEA.
Repertoire was a big part of why I loved being in band and choir in high school. We often did grade level 5 music in band, and my director was quite adept at programming a variety of music from a variety of composers. We played everything from band classics to solo features to music from cultures around the world. In choir, we sang everything from cultural music with movement, excerpts from operas and biblical works, newer choral music, and music in Russian, Italian, Spanish, and everything in between. Additionally, more popular music was present. In the Alba Coro group, we often sang a few oldies at a joint concert with jazz band in addition to the medieval and classical choral music. In band, we had one extra “Pops” concert each year that the students picked a theme for with additional effects. Last year, we played a piece in the dark with some very eerie effects.
Another factor that made performance experiences in high school extra special, especially before Covid, was the full district concerts. We had an All-City Choir Concert every year that included every choir from 4th grade to 12th grade. Each year, a guest conductor would come in and we would sing three huge pieces together after each choir performed their set. Band had something similar every other year, but was somewhat less of a large event. That sort of event would be something super fun to replicate for my future students.
Overall, though my musical time in high school was somewhat cut short because of Covid, the experiences I did get to have even in a modest sized program gave me a really good idea of what I want my future teaching experience to look like. My band teacher especially had a really nice way of connecting with students, keeping rehearsal running, and finding repertoire that was challenging and motivating. I always loved choir, but I got to love band even more in high school. That connection with students is something I would love to replicate in my future teaching.
