High school: a major transition in many teen’s lives that poses some confusing, yet important, questions. Who am I? Where do I belong? What am I going to do with my life? I was caught up in all of these questions, and quite frankly, life didn’t seem so simple or easy anymore. Day after day I would struggle with keeping everything in balance and worried about all of the little things. My life seemed to slowly slip up until I couldn’t seem to handle everything. I needed answers, and I needed them quickly.…
The fourth through eighth grade choristers enter onto the risers on the stage in organized rows, hands at their sides, shoulders back and aligned with nervous smiles across their faces. This is the students first time being adjudicated The auditorium is full of other students, teachers, and adjudicators from around the city ready to hear the product of weekly after school rehearsals throughout the school year. The chorus director looks around the auditorium and counts five former music instructors and the nostalgia of being that fourth-eighth grader on stage with those instructors floods the director's mind. She smiles, bows to the audience, turns, and gives a reassuring thumbs up to the bright, developing musicians in front of her.…
“When I first started here back in 2000, I was the only female conductor in the Suburban East Conference” recalled Marie Dymit. When she was in high school her conductor, Lee Carlson, was a male teacher but she remembers him always pushing her to do what she wanted to do in life. He fueled her passion for choir with the passion he put into his choir groups. He was her role model in high school and even now because he is a big part of why she choose to be a choir…
As I continued my high school journey this beautiful young lady began to figure out my talents away from being in Voices Up. I insisted joining the band where I played the flute and piccolo and became section leader all in 2 years, then found out about Girl Power Girls’ Choir which helped me so much. Now as a college student who’s majoring in General Psychology with a minor in criminal justice. After being interested in this particular field for the simple fact I was watching…
Going through a vast amount middle school groups and high school groups has helped me discover my current identity; what I admire, how I identify myself , and how I act. A funny, positive, random, and one lively human being. It started off with me trying to fit in groups into middle school that required inferior like grades, being disrespectful, and smoking weed. High school is when I met people that completely transmuted my life; friends that understood me. Liz Armstrong, a graduate from the University of Missouri, writer and editor, in her article “An Argument for Being a Poser”, addresses the meaning of being a poser and how it can actually be a great asset , as it can help find your true identity. Consequently, being a poser during middle…
When the second week of February arrived, Kayla and I left Sioux Falls around six in the morning. Arriving in Brookings a hour later, we were driven to the campus and taken to a building with a large gathering room that held other schools whom had already arrived before us. We were assigned seats in specific sections—ranging from Bass, Tenor, Alto, or Soprano. Hours of practicing went by, and we had reached the last few hours of the day. Driven to a performance hall; we ran through all the songs once more before the final…
At the beginning of my high school days when I was a freshman or “fish” as the upperclassmen would call us, I never knew where I really belonged. Every clique or group that I tried to become a part of did not truly fit my personality. Just like the upperclassmen had said, I felt like a small fish in an even bigger sea. It all changed when one day a pep rally was held in honor of our first football game of the season. As I sat in the rickety bleachers and watched the cocky football players walk out followed by the overly-spirited cheerleaders, I sat back in dismay. But then following the cheerleaders,…
The concert featured the vocal abilities of the Collegiate Choir, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Women’s Choir, and the Concert Choir. John Villaveeces led all choirs and audience members under the direction of professors Dr. Zabriskie, Dr. Robert Lawrence, and accompanied on the piano. His musical abilities on the “keys” made it hard for anyone not to sing along.…
On July 11, 2016, I presented a booktalk to a group of ten female teens that are a part of the teen theatre group, the Saax Bradbury Players. The booktalk was hosted by an employee of the theatre, Jen Blalock. Because of rehearsals taking place in the theatre, the booktalk was given in the host’s home. The grades of the students range from rising sophomores to 2016 graduates. The ethnicity of the student group is ninety percent White and ten percent African American. The main interest of this student group is drama. Most of their time is spent in rehearsing and performing in children’s, young adult, and adult theatrical productions. These teens are truly diverse in the groups in which they relate. Their ages…
The support system of being in a group gets people out of the house and into chorus every week which is just one of the benefits that is specific to group singing and is the key part of why choral singers are reportedly happier than people who aren't choral singers. This joyousness that choral singers find in singing has been found in many cultures for many generations. There is a strong amount of nations where the mothers singing to their young seems common thread among the world- that would be the reason every nation has at least one lullaby. In fact, in the Women's Honor Choir we are singing "All the Pretty Horses", a Traditional American lullaby written from the perspective mother or caretaker singing a baby to sleep, promising that when the child wakes he or she "shall have all the pretty little horses". When we sing songs from diverse cultures and time periods we gain opportunities to learn about the cultures of others, and gain a better understanding of our own cultures and history. Another social virtue that chorus members embark on the path to would be empathy. Empathy or otherwise known as identifying oneself completely with an object or person, (Dictionary.com) is first reached by learning how to subsume into a group consciousness, immersing one's self into the community, which is something that is ultimately learned by any member in any choir. That’s one of the great feelings- that moment when we're performing and I get to stop being 'me' for a while so I can become 'us' feels great being a part of something bigger than…
I come from a family with a rich background in music. I don’t know a single family member that can’t play at least one instrument or doesn’t know how to read a piece of sheet music. When I was very young my mother would play music for me and sing to me. My father would also play the drums very loudly so the entire neighborhood could hear. Due to the fact that I was brought up around so much talent and music appreciation, naturally I decided that I wanted music to be a large part in my life forever and I want to be able to share it with the world. When I was in elementary school I decided to join the choir. This was a big moment for me because music was what made me want to get up and live my life, it was always something to look forward to.…
In the 10 years between the time span of 2003-2013, we can find a change in not only the people, but in the friends we have kept and lost. Friends play a big role in how our high school years turn out, as does our taste in music. The first 18 years in a person’s life decide the rest of the person’s life and who they are. Friends and music make a big part of someone’s life, and for the person to get where they are today, they have to undergo some major changes.…
According to Erik Erikson, these teens are in the stage of fidelity and face the challenge of Identity vs. Role Confusion. Creating connections with other peers and adults is important in this stage and I want to help out these youth as they discover their identity. Many of the children who attend youth services, events and other activities often express that they feel a strong connection with the leaders and other students. Personally, during my time as a youth, I experienced a feeling of being loved and appreciated by adults and youth in the community of St.…
The band has been an integral part of my life since I joined back in 7th grade. I’ve had several hobbies over the years, but band is one of the few activities that have sparked my interest. It has created an environment where my strengths can positively shine. Without band I’d have a much less impressive student life. The band program has given me most of the friends that I have today, and that is something I couldn’t replace. The band is by far the most important aspect of my high school career, and I really feel that it is a highly positive stepping stone in my life.…
While most teens transitioning to high school focused their mental energy towards worrying about their next exam and trying to fit in somewhere, mine included more hardships. I was more focused on trying to live comfortably with strangers, and not feeling like a burden to them. A lot of my energy went towards trying to be there for my little sister, someone I’ve never had a chance to build a good relationship with in the first place, in a time where I didn’t want anything to do with relationships. I was focused on things like learning to trust again, accepting the things that have happened in my life, and not shutting everyone out of my life. It was in this time frame that I turned to music for comfort.…