Trebles and Talons:

Choir and Orchestra Soar Into a New Year with Mark Moen

September, 2023

By: Sophie Brown

New Year

New Sound

Almost everyone has a family member with fond - and often lengthy - memories of musical education. Whether they were a second chair oboe player in beginner band, or the fourth grader who passed out on the top row of the risers during their elementary school’s holiday choir show, recollections are nearly always vivid. But what do music classes look like for Northfield students? To find the answer, I spoke with NHS choir and orchestra director, Mark Moen.

Recent graduate of Illinois State University, Mr. Moen has spent his whole life around music. “I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember,” he recalled. “My mom’s also a music teacher, so that’s kind of how I got my start.” Continuing, he shared that Northfield is an excellent school for his first teaching job, and although Schoology poses some challenges, he’s enjoying working with choir and orchestra students.

Though I do not play an instrument, I enjoy learning about and engaging with the performing arts, and I’m looking forward to attending the fall choir, band, and orchestra concert this year. For those who consider themselves to be less musically inclined, Mr. Moen had some words of advice. “I think everybody who says that [they are not musical] probably hasn’t just had the opportunity to explore…they probably are once they get more into it.”

Regarding students who are already in the Northfield choir and orchestra, Mr. Moen sees many potential benefits. From studies demonstrating higher standardized test scores among music students to the sense of camaraderie developed in “tight-knit” performance groups that develops much in the same way as they do on a sports team, the benefits of music classes in schools are immense. He mentioned the dedication it takes to learn to sing or play an instrument, and encourages students to appreciate the value of the process.

“The process” for Northfield music ensembles centers around repetition and collaborative practice. After a thorough warm-up, orchestra and choir classes alike typically shift to working on the more challenging parts of their performance pieces. Early on in the process, there is a lot of “sectional rehearsal” in which specific parts of the ensemble work together on difficult sections of music for their group.

After hearing about the repertoire for the upcoming performance, I could understand why so much practice goes into the show pieces. The Northfield beginner choirs, known as Bella Voce and The Meistersingers, will be performing the African-American spiritual Wade in the Water, Scottish folk song Wild Mountain Thyme, and a surprise song originally performed by artist Post Malone.

The Nighthawk Honor Choir will be performing, among other pieces, a musical interpretation of a Robert Frost poem and On a March Day, a challenging song that splits into a resonant eight-part harmony.

As far as string orchestra is concerned, the fall repertoire includes Mythos, composed by Soon Hee Newbold, and Doug Spata’s City of Steel. “It just sounds like Batman, so we just try to be Batman when we play it,” Mr. Moen commented on the latter piece.

For anyone interested in music, the fall instrumental and vocal performances are an excellent opportunity to enjoy a unique show lineup and listen to talented NHS performers. The choir and orchestra concert is being held in Building 1 on November 1st, and the band concert is November 2nd. I eagerly await the show to come, and in the meantime we as Northfield students offer a warm welcome to Mr. Moen, choir and orchestra director.

Good luck, nighthawk performers!

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Photo credits: Pixabay

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