The Vocal and Wind Ensembles are two of 12 honors scholastic ensembles from throughout the state chosen to perform at the NJMEA Conference in February
Clearview Regional High School Wind and Vocal Ensembles will have the opportunity to perform for music educators from across the state at this year’s Music Educators Association Conference in February. The ensembles were two of 12 honors scholastic ensembles chosen from hundreds of schools throughout the state, a prestigious honor recognizing the highest quality of performance and skill.
The three-day conference, scheduled for Feb. 22, 23 and 24 at the East Brunswick Hilton, will offer various professional development sessions for teachers, featuring live performances from the distinguished chosen ensembles throughout the day.
“For either of our ensembles to get selected is a high honor because it means we are being recognized among the best in the state, which traditionally has strong programs of music compared to what’s around the country,” CRHS Director of Bands Tyler Wiernusz said. “For both ensembles to be recognized, that’s a huge deal.”
Wiernusz said although the band has been chosen to perform at prestigious events in the past few years, this will be the first time the 46-student Wind Ensemble will perform at the NJMEA Conference. According to Choir Director Romel McInnis, the last time the Vocal Ensemble, comprised of 40 Clearview students, was accepted for a performance as notable as the NJMEA Conference was in 2004.
“To see the progression of sight reading and musicality, when I first got here there wasn’t a whole lot of that going on,” McInnis said. “Now, at my fifth year, these kids are completely and totally mature, and they are actually able to handle that type of repertoire and level of singing; I’m just really proud of these kids.”
To be accepted to perform at the conference, McInnis and Wiernusz submitted an application on behalf of the ensembles, as well as a proposed half-hour program they plan to perform at the event. In addition, Wiernusz had to submit a recording of the Wind Ensemble for consideration.
“The repertoire that I’ve chosen, that I plan on doing, high schools typically don’t do,” McInnis said.
McInnis’ collection of classically-based song selections include Mozart’s “Missa Brevis K275,” “Zadok the Priest” by George Frideric Handel and “Dark Night of the Soul” by Ola Gjeilo, a difficult 12-minute piece accompanied by a string quartet and piano.
“I feel like choral music nowadays has gone completely and totally contemporary, which there is nothing wrong with that, but I feel like we have lost an essence of the classical music,” McInnis said. “Thinking about how I structured my program, it’s very classically-based.”
Wiernusz said his program is to include a worldly combination of music from France, England, Australia and America. The Wind Ensemble program features “Scenes from the Louvre” by Norman Dello Joio, “Australian Up-Country Tune” by Percy Aldridge Grainger, “Festivo” by Edward Gregson and “Overture in B-Flat” by Caesar Giovannini.
“Our students will have the opportunity to see other programs perform and they’re going to get to perform for educators from around the state,” Wiernusz said. “This will be a great opportunity for our students to really grow and take the next step in their musicianship.”
To prepare for the NJMEA Conference performance, students in each ensemble will be rehearsing frequently throughout the next two months. According to McInnis, while the Vocal Ensemble meets during the school day because it is a curriculum requirement, the students also meet for night rehearsals at least two to three times per month for two to three hours at a time.
“I think this honor, for both ensembles, is another checkpoint on the journey of growth and maturity within music in the school district,” Wiernusz said. “The honor is really great, especially for the development of the program over a number of years.”
The Clearview Regional High School Band Winter Concert was held on Wednesday Dec. 6. Residents can look forward to attending the free 57th annual Holiday Choral Concert “Christmas Cantata,” featuring Concert Choir, Combined Women’s and Men’s Choir and the Vocal Ensemble on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m., in the Toscano Theater.
