Woodland Music Program Strikes a Chord: Celebrating Dedication and Talent
The Woodland High School and Middle School Choirs have just finished their busiest season attending music festivals around the state! Our Woodland High School Concert Choir (above) attended the Lower Columbia Music Educators Association (LCRMEA) High School Choir Festival at Mountain View High School in Vancouver on March 12th. They performed beautifully for clinicians and many other choirs, and they received excellent scores and feedback!
March 25th, our Woodland Middle School Choir traveled to Garver Theater in Camas and sang at the LCRMEA Middle School Choir Festival to high acclaim! They had a helpful clinic and learned from watching other regional choirs perform. Patrice Lins, Jazz Choir, Concert Choir and Guitar teacher said, “Our youngest singers were poised and professional!”
The High School Concert Choir, like the Middle School Choir, welcomes any student with a passion for singing and a desire to learn. Ms. Lins fosters a supportive environment where students feel comfortable taking risks and pushing their individual boundaries, leading to a collective sense of pride in their accomplishments. Here's what some of our High School Concert Choir members have to say about their experience:
"I am very excited, I want to try out for a solo. This choir is amazing, and we sound amazing," says McKenzie Chretien.
Daniela Nunez-Zamora, a first-year member, shares, "I really like it. The people are nice and the music is fun to sing, and we get to go to different schools for festivals. We also get to watch multiple choirs sing while we wait for our turn and after our turn."
"Choir is awesome, so you should try it," encourages an anonymous student. "You make a lot of friends, and you learn to sing out."
Lucas Michael adds, "Choir is great for anyone who likes to sing and make new friends. If this is what you like to do, then you should join the Choir!"
Skye West reflects, "Being in choir has made me feel myself a little bit more, and it has made my voice stronger, and I love that. I also love the songs that we have sung, including when I just joined choir in the middle of the year, I was still able to pull all the songs off."
Lilli Parrilla emphasizes the welcoming atmosphere: "Choir is a fun and exciting place to let your voice be heard. It's a very safe place where you won't be judged on how you sound. There are many opportunities to get a solo and have fun at many events. You have to take risks and live in the moment. Just have fun."
Azriel Duncan appreciates the supportive nature of the group: "I love how non-judgmental the choir is. Everyone is on the same level of understanding, so no one cares if you mess up. The songs we do are sometimes hard to learn at first, but once you know, it is so fun to be able to show others your hard work."
Alexis Carr highlights the holistic benefits of choir: "Choir isn't just about singing; it's about finding your voice and joining it with others to create something beautiful together. Plus, you get to try awesome new songs – even in different languages! And those field trips and working with people who help you sing better are super fun! Oh, and sometimes we go to lunch outings and those upbeat tunes at the end of the year – it's all part of making amazing music together."
Dayana Perez-Lopez concludes, "I love having choir because it's fun and you get to meet new people, sing in other schools, and do a lot of teamwork. This class takes a lot of confidence to sing out, but if you learn the songs and go with the flow, you will definitely do great in this class. In this class, you will have a lot of fun and plus it's an easy class."
The advanced high school ensemble, Vocal Jazz, showcased their talent at the 49th Annual DeMiero Jazz Festival at Edmonds College on March 7th. In this esteemed non-competitive gathering of Washington and Oregon's top vocal jazz groups, they presented a powerful set of complex arrangements.
Left to Right: Cameron Conditt (drums), Macy Snead, Abbie Corral, Bella Hirsch, Harland Wakefield, Trevor Burton, Talon Thomas, Kaelyn Lee, Kyler Harrington, Ms. Lins
Auditions for Vocal Jazz take place each Spring for the following year. The group is open to advanced singers and rhythm section players in 9th - 12th grades. Vocal Jazz is a zero-hour class that meets every day. WHS Vocal Jazz performs at a high level of difficulty and represents Woodland at many varied events throughout the year.
This year, Vocal Jazz sang the National Anthem for our Woodland High School Homecoming game, at the Woodland Middle School Veterans’ Day Assembly, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Woodland library. They traveled to perform in the Groove for Thought Vocal Jazz Festival in November and have performed, along with Woodland High School Concert Choir and Woodland Middle School Choirs, on both the Fall and 91porn Choir Concerts held at Woodland High School for friends and families.
What does being in Vocal Jazz look and feel like for our young musicians?
Bella Hirsch: “Since this is only my second year doing choir, it was definitely exciting when I made it into Jazz choir, as I thought it would be fun and more like choir but with more trips. I've learned a lot from Ms. Lins and the events we have gone to, my favorite being DeMiero. It was an overnight trip that was super fun for all of us, and we got to perform and learn from another student. I was nervous at first since I was the only freshman, but that didn't seem to make much of a difference.”
Talon Thomas: “Choir gave me friends that I could be comfortable with, which is important in singing. If you aren't comfortable, you won't sing to the best of your ability. Jazz choir is a lot more connected with individuals, I could say jazz feels more like a "family" to me. Going to trips with jazz overnight was a super fun, social, and learning experience. Starting the day off singing calms my nerves and gives me a clear head to go throughout the day happily. I enjoy choir a ton!”
Abbie Corral: “Being a part of Jazz has been an unforgettable experience. I’m incredibly grateful to the music for the meaningful connections I’ve made with my peers over the years—it’s brought us together and made me feel truly part of a community. What I love most about Jazz is the chance to share the gift of music with others. For me, it’s nearly impossible not to smile when I’m surrounded by my friends and singing together.”
For all of our choir members to attend these curricular festival events in March, they need to learn and memorize the most challenging music that they will work on all year. The benefits of performing at these festivals are many and great! They are a means to achieve class and individual music learning goals, meet new challenges, represent Woodland in a wide variety of music and school communities, form lasting friendships and working bonds with other choir members, and create lifelong memories.
However, the dedication and passion of our choir students extend beyond the classroom. For every choir member in the music program, there are numerous extracurricular opportunities available to showcase their talents, raise their level of musical understanding, increase their individual confidence, and achieve remarkable success throughout the year.
An impressive four middle school students (pictured above): Sally Napper, Ryann Smolarek, Delaney Estep and Temperance Scott and ten high school students (pictured below): Olivia Boman, Bella Hirsch, Kelly Mendez-Sanchez, Marissa Roy, Kyler Harrington, Bladyn Silveria, Harland Wakefield, Kaelyn Lee, Lawrence Howard, and Abbie Corral participated in the LCRMEA Honor Choir.
Students were recommended by Ms. Lins to participate based on advanced and specific criteria. They performed in huge choirs at Mountain View High School in February with the “best of the best” young singers from Vancouver, Evergreen, La Center, Ridgefield, and Camas schools.
Olivia Boman: “My choir experience at Woodland has been amazing! Everyone I have met in choir has been very kind and supportive, and I've never felt like I didn't belong or I wasn't wanted in choir. The choir class also offers a ton of extracurricular activities and programs to help improve, and even in these extracurricular programs, everyone is super supportive!”
Kelly Mendez-Sanchez: “Being a part of the Woodland High School Concert Choir has taken courage. I have been doing choir for a couple of years now, and the most fun I have found is all the festivals we go on and joining the Honor Choir. One of the most recommended events, in my opinion. When I took Honor Choir, I learned a lot by learning how to calm down before and during on stage, learning how to be confident in singing out more with your voice, and singing and trusting other people you have never met before. I recommend people who are taking Concert Choir, take at least Honor Choir once in their lifetime, it's not hard nor easy, but you learn A LOT, and you might even just make new friends in the fun process of it. Concert Choir is a very easy class, and I hope more people join us in Concert Choir without feeling embarrassed.”
The accolades don't stop there. Demonstrating exceptional talent and dedication, four middle school students auditioned back in October and were accepted into the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) All-State Choir held this year in Spokane in February. This is a huge achievement for young musicians in Washington State, and their presence there speaks volumes about the strength of Woodland’s music program. The two students able to attend were Neola Leake and Noah Howard. (Samantha Jones-Huevo was unable to attend because of weather, and Makayla Seevers had an unavoidable conflict.)
Adding to the chorus of success, Harland Wakefield auditioned and was accepted into the highly selective All-Northwest Vocal Jazz Ensemble, a remarkable feat as this ensemble is limited to just 24 students from across six states. Harland's acceptance underscores the exceptional caliber of vocal jazz talent nurtured within our schools.
When asked about his experience at Vocal Jazz, Harland Wakefield said, “This year I auditioned for Vocal Jazz, not knowing what would happen. I figured, why not? It's my last year in school, so I want to do everything I can and have no regrets. A couple of weeks later, Miss Lins pulled me out of the class and gave me some great news: I had made it into a Vocal Jazz choir with 24 people from 6 different states! This helped me reinforce the idea that I can do anything I put my mind to. This was not just a learning experience, but an unforgettable, eye-opening experience. It helped shift my perspective and realize how much I have to be grateful for. I learned I am not just grateful for music, but grateful for the songs I'm singing, and the joy I'm bringing to the world in those moments. I'm grateful for every little detail in my life, like the roof over my head, the rain that feeds the trees, and the sun that helps them grow. Likewise, I felt like a sprout, growing every day. This experience was the sun, and it helped me grow into the individual I am today.”
Individual achievements were also celebrated at the LCRMEA High School Solo Ensemble Contest, where Harland Wakefield and Kaelyn Lee both participated and received impressive scores of Excellent. Their dedication to honing their individual vocal skills is truly commendable.
As we celebrate these achievements, we also acknowledge the upcoming graduation of three talented seniors from the program. Their contributions will be deeply missed, and we wish Harland Wakefield, Kyler Harrington, and Macy Snead the very best in their future musical journeys!
The continued success of the Woodland Music Program is made possible in part by the support of TEMPO, a parent/guardian music booster organization dedicated to fostering choral and band music in our schools. TEMPO is currently seeking new volunteers to help ensure both programs’ continued growth and vibrancy. If you have a passion for music and a desire to support our talented music students, please consider contacting Heather Hirsch at heatherjhirsch@gmail.com to learn about how you can get involved.
Through to the end of this year, the community will have just a few more fantastic opportunities to experience the talent of our music program firsthand:
Spring Band Concert featuring Middle School 6-8 Band and High School Beaver Band on Thursday, May 22nd- 7:00 PM @ WHS Commons and Stage
Spring Choir Concert featuring Middle School 6-8 Choir and High School Concert Choir on Thursday, May 29th- 7:00 PM @ WHS Commons and Stage (This is during the annual Art Fest)
Hot Chili/Cool Jazz - This TEMPO sponsored fundraising event on Thursday, June 5th- 7:00 PM @ WHS Commons and Stage. This promises to be a delightful evening showcasing the hard work and musical artistry of our Vocal Jazz students. Whole ensemble, small group, and solo songs will all be featured.
Graduation - Vocal Jazz will be on the track/gym floor performing before the ceremony.
The Woodland Music Program is a vibrant and thriving cornerstone of our schools, nurturing not only musical talent but also discipline, teamwork, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts. The recent achievements of our students are a testament to their dedication, the guidance of Ms. Lins, and the supportive environment fostered within the program. Let us all celebrate their success and continue to champion the power of music in our community!