Music classes can be an important part of a student’s experience in high school. They can benefit students in learning an instrument, but also beyond that, building community and learning time management skills. At Kathleen MacDonald High School (KMHS) this year, there are four music classes offered: concert band, jazz band, choir, and orchestra. Most of these classes are open to anyone to join, even without previous music experience.
Choir and orchestra are both newly offered classes at the school that are open to all students to take, regardless of previous involvement in music classes.
Douglas Focht is the music teacher at KMHS. One of the classes he suggests students without previous experience to take is choir.
“Choir is a very good introduction to an organized music ensemble for those who just haven’t had that experience before,” said Focht.
This class can be a great opportunity for students to get involved with music and learn concepts before moving on to another class. Focht said that choir mainly focuses on “singing different choral songs as a group.”
For a more traditional band experience, another class open for anyone to take is concert band.
“It is our default ensemble, it’s where all of our incoming freshmen join in,” said Focht. Similarly to choir and orchestra, this can be a good start for students with no experience as they can get involved and learn how to play an instrument.
There’s also a band option for students with prior ensemble experience: jazz band.
Focht said, “It’s our audition only group. It’s kind of our advanced ensemble here at MacDonald, so if you’ve been playing music for a while and want to try something new, it’s a great direction to go in.”
Getting involved in music classes can have benefits beyond just learning to play or sing; it can also help build a sense of community.
Sahana Daniel, a sophomore who is currently in jazz band, said, “It’s very supportive. You end up making friends who you never would have thought you would have been friends with because you wouldn’t have met them for any other reason.”
Beyond that, music classes can also teach students skills that are relevant in other classes and life in general.
Daniel said, “I learn how to look at a piece of music at first glance, and just dive head first into it, and I feel like that applies to anything.”
As well, Focht said, it teaches students “how to organize their time, how to set aside time to practice, how to work as a community in a group taking yourself and all your peers working towards one individual goal.”
Music classes go beyond just learning an instrument or how to sing, they create community and teach students how to work as a group, while having to fulfill an individual role, which is a skill that can be applied in many different situations.
