“They said we broke the mold!” said Eleanor Roosevelt High School (ERHS) band director, Rachel Zephir. This was the response the ERHS wind ensemble received at the annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago from December 17 to 20. What made ERHS distinct was its presentation of mixed-instrument chamber music as opposed to the more traditional large band performance. Said Zephir, “We had numerous groups within our full ensemble. So many people said it was refreshing to see such an innovative program.”
The Midwest Clinic began on December 7, 1946. It is the world’s largest instrumental music education conference, bringing in participation from the entire country and around 40 countries. It is focused on improving and elucidating all aspects of music education to its members who include professionals involved in every level of this field. ERHS is the third high school from Maryland to perform in the event’s history.
On December 12, the ensemble did a preview concert at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. The ERHS Wind Ensemble consists of 45 students. This is Zephir’s fifth year at ERHS. They were joined on this trip by guest conductors, Harlan Parker from the Peabody Conservatory, and Michael Votta from the University of Maryland (UMD). In addition, Michelle Fowlin, choral director at ERHS, performed with the ensemble which received a tearful response from many in the audience.
The group presented nine chamber pieces of varying instrumentations, including a brass, saxophone and percussion ensemble, a woodwind octet and mixtures of brass and woodwinds. The composers of the works they performed included Beethoven, Dvorak, Thomas Tallis and various modern composers. They performed a world premiere arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers by Dr. Anthony Rivera.
Aliki Arbach, music teacher at Laurel Elementary and a parent of French horn player and senior Olivia Arbach, served as a chaperone. She felt that the exposed and rigorous demands of the chamber music experience caused each participant to grow musically on every level, forcing them to become leaders and gain new levels of confidence and maturity. She stressed that several pieces were not conducted and that the enthusiastic response came from an audience of very discerning professionals.
Parent Anne Gardner, of sophomore trumpeter Rebecca Gardner, said that the experience “was an amazing opportunity by having the students play in small ensembles, where they had to listen to each other more, improved their musicianship to the level where they could participate in a prestigious event like this.”
Senior and oboeist Matthew Miller said that the experience was “as much about bonding with the other members of the ensemble as much as it was about playing the music.” He felt that the chamber music approach “feels so much more intimate.” He said that this “was a wonderful experience that I will be able to pull from as I continue to play music.”
Alumni class of 2019 trumpeter Ivanna Ajakpo joined the group as well. She is currently a music education student at UMD. She said that “being able to display what we’ve been working on for so long was super rewarding.” She added that “seeing everyone come out to support us really helped me understand how important it is to believe in what you do, and how your confidence can inspire others to take risks with pride, no matter how unorthodox or far-fetched.” She got a “nice glimpse into some of the professional development opportunities and resources that are available for teachers and students alike.”
ERHS has three first-chair players in this year’s Maryland All-State Orchestra: Olivia Arbach, Matthew Miller and bassoonist Alex Weidman. String bassist and senior Cora Jackson was also chosen for the orchestra. Bassoonist and senior, Ryan Guo, was chosen for All-State Band.