By Eliza Kreske
About 70 orchestras applied to be able to attend the Midwest Music Clinic in Chicago from December 20-23, but only two, including the Pioneer Orchestras, were selected.
The Midwest Music Clinic, according to midwestclinic.org, is an “annual four-day music band and orchestra conference” held in Chicago. It is “the largest music conference of its kind” and brings together a wide array of people involved with music education. There is an astounding amount of diversity that the event attracts, with people from all 50 states and up to 40 different countries.
The Pioneer Orchestras were selected to attend the clinic after Jonathan Glawe, the Pioneer Orchestra Director, submitted a clip from their orchestra night concert last winter. Seventy orchestras from around the country applied, and only two were selected.
Seniors Yoav Hayut and Sophia Janevic, who were elected Symphony Orchestra presidents by their peers, are excited about attending the event. “It’s bringing us together,” said Janevic.
“Not everyone can go to all the [international] events,” Janevic said. “It’s uniting us more this year. We all have a common goal, and it’s definitely uniting us and making us stronger.”
Glawe says traveling to events such as these is a valuable experience for all participants. “These opportunities provide our students with a unique look into the musical world beyond what they know in Ann Arbor,” he said. “Any time we can participate in events like this, we try to do so to enrich the lives in and around our community.”
Pioneer Sophomore Avani Shingari says that ensuring all students have the opportunity to go on these trips is such a priority that a large amount of effort is put into funding scholarships. “The [Pioneer Orchestra Parent Society, or POPS] gives scholarships, which I know some people took to go on the trip [to New Orleans],” she said. “Some of the money we get from fundraising, like the carwash, goes towards the scholarships handed out by the POPS. They’re super helpful.”
The Pioneer Orchestras have a history of excellence. They have won the Grammy Gold Signature School award four times, which “recognizes top U.S. public high schools that are making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year” according to www.grammyintheschools.com, the Grammy Gold School twice, and were selected as the National Grammy Signature School for the 2005-06 school year. However, being able to attend the prestigious clinic brings a new feeling of excitement to the musicians.
“My adrenaline is up,” Hayut said with a smile.
Both domestic and international travel is a component of all three of the music organizations at Pioneer, the bands, the choirs, and the orchestras. Janevic and Hayut agreed that their music is valued much more at events such as these. “The people watching us appreciate classical music more,” Hayut said. “ When we went to Italy, a bunch of townspeople came to watch us play in this really cool church. They just came out to a church to hear some high schoolers play some music, and they enjoyed it, which is something that doesn’t happen very often here.”
Janevic additionally feels she is exposed to several things she hasn’t been before. “I like seeing the music scene in different cities,” she said. “In New Orleans, we got to hear authentic New Orlean jazz, which was so interesting to hear. I also meet a lot of new people I hadn’t talked to before in orchestra.”
Janevic and Hayut agree that a large part of the excitement surrounding the trip is the anticipation of getting to perform the pieces in a setting that will fully appreciate them. “Everyone is excited about going, and getting to showcase what we’ve been working on,” Janevic said.
Hayut says everyone is especially enthusiastic about the music. “I haven’t seen people get this excited about classical music since the 1800’s,” he said.
While going to these events is very rewarding to the Pioneer students as musicians, it is no easy feat to put on. Glawe says he spent over 50 hours during the summer preparing the music, and outside of teaching everyday, continues to work four to five more hours per week on preparing for the event. Glawe feels the extra effort is worth it.
“This is a lot of work,” he said, “but the students of Pioneer are worth it. The end result will demonstrate the commitment of everyone in the classroom.”
Glawe overall feels his work put into these extracurricular events has no cons. “When it comes down to it, I am fortunate enough to work with some of the strongest musicians at Pioneer, who also happen to be great people,” he said. “When you start with that formula, it’s hard to find anything but pros."
About 70 orchestras applied to be able to attend the Midwest Music Clinic in Chicago from December 20-23, but only two, including the Pioneer Orchestras, were selected.
The Midwest Music Clinic, according to midwestclinic.org, is an “annual four-day music band and orchestra conference” held in Chicago. It is “the largest music conference of its kind” and brings together a wide array of people involved with music education. There is an astounding amount of diversity that the event attracts, with people from all 50 states and up to 40 different countries.
The Pioneer Orchestras were selected to attend the clinic after Jonathan Glawe, the Pioneer Orchestra Director, submitted a clip from their orchestra night concert last winter. Seventy orchestras from around the country applied, and only two were selected.
Seniors Yoav Hayut and Sophia Janevic, who were elected Symphony Orchestra presidents by their peers, are excited about attending the event. “It’s bringing us together,” said Janevic.
“Not everyone can go to all the [international] events,” Janevic said. “It’s uniting us more this year. We all have a common goal, and it’s definitely uniting us and making us stronger.”
Glawe says traveling to events such as these is a valuable experience for all participants. “These opportunities provide our students with a unique look into the musical world beyond what they know in Ann Arbor,” he said. “Any time we can participate in events like this, we try to do so to enrich the lives in and around our community.”
Pioneer Sophomore Avani Shingari says that ensuring all students have the opportunity to go on these trips is such a priority that a large amount of effort is put into funding scholarships. “The [Pioneer Orchestra Parent Society, or POPS] gives scholarships, which I know some people took to go on the trip [to New Orleans],” she said. “Some of the money we get from fundraising, like the carwash, goes towards the scholarships handed out by the POPS. They’re super helpful.”
The Pioneer Orchestras have a history of excellence. They have won the Grammy Gold Signature School award four times, which “recognizes top U.S. public high schools that are making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year” according to www.grammyintheschools.com, the Grammy Gold School twice, and were selected as the National Grammy Signature School for the 2005-06 school year. However, being able to attend the prestigious clinic brings a new feeling of excitement to the musicians.
“My adrenaline is up,” Hayut said with a smile.
Both domestic and international travel is a component of all three of the music organizations at Pioneer, the bands, the choirs, and the orchestras. Janevic and Hayut agreed that their music is valued much more at events such as these. “The people watching us appreciate classical music more,” Hayut said. “ When we went to Italy, a bunch of townspeople came to watch us play in this really cool church. They just came out to a church to hear some high schoolers play some music, and they enjoyed it, which is something that doesn’t happen very often here.”
Janevic additionally feels she is exposed to several things she hasn’t been before. “I like seeing the music scene in different cities,” she said. “In New Orleans, we got to hear authentic New Orlean jazz, which was so interesting to hear. I also meet a lot of new people I hadn’t talked to before in orchestra.”
Janevic and Hayut agree that a large part of the excitement surrounding the trip is the anticipation of getting to perform the pieces in a setting that will fully appreciate them. “Everyone is excited about going, and getting to showcase what we’ve been working on,” Janevic said.
Hayut says everyone is especially enthusiastic about the music. “I haven’t seen people get this excited about classical music since the 1800’s,” he said.
While going to these events is very rewarding to the Pioneer students as musicians, it is no easy feat to put on. Glawe says he spent over 50 hours during the summer preparing the music, and outside of teaching everyday, continues to work four to five more hours per week on preparing for the event. Glawe feels the extra effort is worth it.
“This is a lot of work,” he said, “but the students of Pioneer are worth it. The end result will demonstrate the commitment of everyone in the classroom.”
Glawe overall feels his work put into these extracurricular events has no cons. “When it comes down to it, I am fortunate enough to work with some of the strongest musicians at Pioneer, who also happen to be great people,” he said. “When you start with that formula, it’s hard to find anything but pros."