When talking about Normal Community High School, it is easy to get lost in the growing student body and Dynamic Curriculum. Whether it be discussing the athletic success of the various sports teams and winning records, or the academic excellence that is practiced every day in each classroom, to the caring and intelligent faculty and staff that make the whole machine run smoothly, there is always something to talk about, However, one department has been growing rapidly and seemingly is not getting its due credit. For almost five decades now, NCHS's Music department has redefined music education in the heart of Illinois. Today, we will discuss how one little lady and a lot of passion has created this relic of musicianship.
History:
The department Started in 1968, when Unit 5 hired a newly graduated Violist and pianist, Deanne Bryant. During the time, the music department was virtually non-existent in the Unit5 curriculum. Mrs. Bryant Started with a small classroom, and an even smaller orchestra, with only eleven string players. But over time, the department grew, as more professors and local musicians heard of her success. Eventually, another string Musician, Dianne Turek, signed up to help develop the rising department. As they began to developing Orchestra, a lady by the name of Mrs. Robinson joined the department and ignited the flame of a pathetic choir section. After twenty-five years of organizing the now award-winning Music department, Mrs. Bryant retired in 1993. Since then, She is held mainly responsible for the success of the now thriving department of Music. Sometimes referred to as the Mother of Music to the district, she was recently honored by Unit5 for her hard work and dedication to bring music to education.
Present day Faculty:
Although many things have changed since the golden years of Mrs. Bryant, A new set of teachers have taken on the role to educating students on the joys of Music. The current chairman is Ben Luginbuhl, who serves as the head choir conductor. He has been a part of the department for 17 years and is the successor to Mrs. Robinson. Mr. Meadows, who has served as the conductor for the NCHS band for over twenty-five years, is accompanied by Mr. Bence, a co-conductor and overall help in the gigantic band section. Although Mrs. Bryant has had 4 total successors, many of them still active in the District overall, the newest NCHS orchestra conductor is Melissa Siebenthal. Starting in 1999, Siebenthal was first introduced to Mrs. Bryant as a student teacher. In an interview, Siebenthal confesses that although she knew she wanted to teach music, she did not know she would one day be the successor to such a lengendary teacher. Although the department of music consist more than just these four individuals, these four are the most recognized and most pivitole role-playing teachers. And with the music department's increasing popularity (now catering the at least twenty-five percent of the entire student body) it is safe to assume these four are going to need as much assistance as possible.
Breaking Down the Sections of the Music Department:
To better understand how the Music department is structured, it is first necessary to define the four main branches. They consist of Orchestra/String instruments, Band, and Choir. The fourth branch is a less popular but significant Classroom aspect of the department. That will examined as well. However, it would be wise to now examine the similarities and differences of each branch.
Orchestra: Perhaps, the most basic of the three ensemble groups in terms of progression, Orchestra is made up of three levels. Concert orchestra, which is a base class for all incoming freshman and/or any musician with a minimal of four years of string playing experience, works primarily on developing basic techniques such as bowings, shifting and two-level scale octaves. The second, and newest level, is the intermediate Sinfonia orchestra. This orchestra was created in reaction the growing number of participants in the string section. This level is devised to continue the development of a string player who has not already been selected to play in the advance orchestra. Students who are show advanced-level quality and knowledge of music are auditioned through yearly observation and given the choice of playing in Chamber orchestra. This top-level class assumes you have the ability to play college level (grade 4) music and have mastered all basic playing techniques. Again, This branch has been seen over by Mrs. Melissa Siebenthal.
Choir: The obvious difference with choir classes is that it does not require any minimal practice prior to coming into high school. A student either has the ability or they do not. However the same idea of progression is upheld in this branch as well. The base class being called Treble choir. this class is used to develop a singer's basic skills such as vocal production, tone quality and sight-reading. The next step is Men's Choir, a multi-leveled ensemble comprised only of men who opted out of treble choir. Men's choir works differently because there are not as many boy's in the choir program to begin with. So, unlike women, boys only have this ensemble and advanced chamber to progress to. Female students have an intermediate section called Women's chorale, which consist of any woman who has advanced through Treble choir. Developing the basic skills of singing is still the focus of both Men's and Women's choir. the most advanced choir is the Chamber choir. Students wanting to join must be selected after a formal audition in the early second semester. Students admitted in show mastery in all basic singing skills.
A Cappella Groups: One variation in the choir branch are the manly side ensembles not technically included in the district curriculum. An all-girl group called "Key of She" and an all boy group called "Voice Male" are A cappella groups that perform during choir concerts as groups of selected students who usually possess advanced skills in singing. These groups work more on their own time but are still under the watchful eye of Mr. Luginbuhl, as is the rest of the Choir branch.
Band: Since the beginning of the Music Department, the NCHS Band has been the biggest asset and the most popular branch overall. The marching band has won several awards and is recognized as a State-ranked ensemble. following the same idea of progression as the last two, Concert band is the base class that most band players will start in. this class is designed to develop musical literacy and variety in style. the next level in the progression is Symphonic Band. A student is admitted into this class after an audition in the early second semester. the focus is still developing style variation and literacy. the third level is Symphonic Winds, which is designed to continue the development of band players. also requires an audition. The most advanced class is the Wind Ensemble, mainly comprised of players who have mastered many of the basic concepts and skills of brass and wind instruments.
Marching band/Colorguard: although Marching band has many different varieties and concepts that could be discussed on its own page, we will only examine the fundementals. Marching band has been the most popular and award-winning ensemble in the music department. They play in contest all over the state, perfrom half-time shows at both football games and basketball games, and work closely at the highly underrated Colorguard team. both require an audition to obtain a position and practice outside of school. Mr. Meadows and Mr. Bence both look over the marching band and band in general at NCHS. with the growing interest and participation, it is no wonder why two conductors are required to teach this branch.
AP Music Theory/APM: The final branch is a lesser branch in the music department simply because it requires no actual musical capability. APM (American Popular Music) is a classroom class that has students studying the specific styles of American music, styles, popular performers and characteristics of American music. Any student can take this class and only requires that a student has an interest in music. Advanced Placement Music theory is a different story. A student wanting to take this class would have to have a some form of membership in any advance-level ensemble of the other three branches and/or score an 80 percent or higher on the proficiency exam. this class further studies the structure of music, harmony, composition, ear training, form and analysis. basically any trait that will make a better musician. any student enrolled in this class will have the opportunity to take the A.P exam which can reward students with college credit depending on score on exam and college of choice. results may vary depending on both aspects.
