School Concerts and Performances: A Reflection

Last weekend, I attended a performance of West Have High School's Theater Workshop's production of 'Annie'.  I also attended CMEA on Friday and observed Prof. Schneider warming up the Seymour High School's a capella group for their honors performance at the convention.

I was not going to include the West Haven High play in my blog, but I decided on the merit that given the pit orchestra was the largest that I have seen in recent years, and made up of high School band members and an alumnus or two, they deserved a spot in my discussion. My main reflection on West Haven High School is that it takes time to build a music program, but with time and collaboration -minded colleagues and students, miracles can occur. The pit for 'Annie' consisted of about 13 musicians, Mostly students from the band program with a few exceptions.  In the past the pit consisted of a pianist, one violin, rhythm section, s n possibly someone doubling on flute and sax. This time there was a rhythm section, including a percussionist,  two violins and a cello, flutes clarinet, two saxophones and keyboard.

The good thing about having interested band students is you save money not having to hire professionals.  The band was good, although they did seem to drown out the singers in a few numbers.  It was inspiring to see growth in a music orogram.

At CMEA, I observed Prof. Schneider warming up his group. Being at the place of the performance, it was interesting to watch his routine.  The 13 members gathered around the piano for vocalizations and sang the first few bars of each number. Then they took their places on stage and sang one song, not entirely,  but a few minutes worth. I liked how encouraging the director was. He told them that they sounded great.  Not very loudly, but just enough for them to hear.  I stayed for their first selection. 'Ave Maria', a modern arrangement that reminded me of the style of Aaron Copeland. The a capella chorus was very good and they seemed excited to be there.  My understanding is that students must audition for this group. The certainly were very accomplished. Another thing I noticed about the chorus is that while waiting for their performance to begin, they were listening to the other choirs warming up, and they were enjoying the experience.  I thought that showed maturity, and their ability to enjoy the music of others in that setting.

Watching student rehearsals and performances is a good way to learn a bit of the craft of being a BOJC director.