ON A HIGH NOTE

At a mere 4 years old, choir teacher Kate Klotz started studying music. She didn’t want to be an international pop star like any other little kid. She wanted to be a choir teacher.

“I got really involved in singing in choirs, then went to college for a Bachelor’s degree in music education and a Master’s degree in music,” Klotz said.

Klotz wanted to help students find their voices. She wanted to give them a safe place to make mistakes.

“My main goal as a music teacher is to challenge students to find their strength and embrace their talents as musicians, while also giving them a place to be creative and explore the music,” Klotz said.

Jack Cook ‘23 has been involved in Monarch’s choirs all four years and is currently a part of CHAOS and Madrigals. From the start, Cook enjoyed being in the choirs.

“I joined the choir on a whim,” Cook said. “I was not really sure if I would see it through.”

Cook had no interest in playing an instrument but still needed to fulfill his music credits.

“Mrs. Klotz is a great director,” Cook said. “I got hooked, and I just started pouring effort into choir.”

Klotz has a special way of teaching her students. Inspiring them to be the best they can.

“She is always willing to work with us from start to finish and really helps us improve, and that kind of commitment really made it seem like what we were doing was special,” Cook said. “She’s always working to improve her own abilities, which makes everyone else want to improve with her.”

There’s no doubt that Klotz has made a long-lasting impact to inspire and sustain the musical aspiration at Monarch High School.

“It’s never too late to get involved in music.” Klotz said. “Music has been such a positive thing for me. There are so many really amazing people you meet as musicians and so the more students we have, the better.”