ounds & SLEAPS

WhenZoë Latanision ’23 entered Princeton Day School as a freshman, the Jacobson Music Scholars Program was one of the first things she learned about.

In her words, “I knew I absolutely had to be a part of it.”

A singer-songwriter, Latanision was thrilled to learn how her passion could become a major part of her academic schedule.

“Besides having time within the day to focus on my craft, I also had the opportunity to showcase pieces I had been working on throughout the year. It drew me into the program even more,” she said.

Frank Jacobson, music teacher from 1967-2000, created the program in his final year at PDS intending to provide a course of study for students serious about performance or composition. 23 years later, it’s evolved into a competitive signature opportunity for students who wish to pursue music at the collegiate level and beyond. The goal is to expose the scholar to the unique rigors associated with pursuing a music performance degree and offer a taste of what life could look like as a professional musician.

While Jacobson passed in 2022, his legacy lives on.

“I started at PDS in 2007, and even though Frank retired in 2000, he was still coming to school to assist with various musical productions,” remembers Tom Buckelew, music teacher and director of the Jacobson Program since 2018. “He immediately made me feel at home here. I’m grateful for him and for his vision of the future of music at PDS.”

Breaking New Sound

Becoming a Jacobson Scholar begins with a formal application complete with a statement of purpose and letters of recommendation. Selected students entering their junior and senior years are then invited to participate in the next step in the process — a formal audition. Each year, between 2-4 students are accepted into the program.

Once enrolled, their work begins. Scholars maintain a rigorous load, balancing participation in various ensembles, private instruction and independent study and enrollment in AP Music Theory. They perform twice during the academic year to an audience of their faculty and peers.

“It requires a serious commitment,” Buckelew shared.

To help offset the level of commitment, the scholars are allotted an extra period during the week to use as they see fit — often for rehearsing, writing or studying for the program. Despite the intense requirements for the program, established mastery is not one of them. Ben Maschler ’23 explained how the program interested him at a time when he still had a lot to learn.

“When I joined the Upper School band, I couldn’t read music to save my life!” he said. “My then-band teacher saw potential in me and encouraged me to apply for the Jacobson Program to hone my skills.”

Director of Performing and Fine Arts Stan Cahill believes the partnership and encouragement of the faculty is a deep benefit of the program.

“The arts faculty at PDS are practicing, working artists,” he said. “They engage with students in a totally different way — they collaborate and they co-create. We are always learning together.”

While learning together is central to the Jacobson Program’s philosophy, so is the importance of learning to work independently and seeking out support when needed.

“The landscape of music has changed so much since the program started. Since the beginning, it has given serious musicians the opportunity to practice their craft independently and get credit for it,” shared Cahill.

Of course, every student uses that time differently. For Latanision, she finds that some of her best rehearsals happen within the practice rooms on campus.

“I love our practice rooms, I rehearse there all the time,” she shared. “Whenever I’m working on something for Jacobson, I’ll be in a room. Prior to PDS, I would have to travel to the city to train.”

Composer and pianist Nathan Campbell ’24 disagreed.

“I actually find it difficult to produce on campus,” he shared. “But I practice piano here almost every day.”

Buckelew has to strike a challenging balance between supporting the students’ independence and also guiding them to achieve their goals.

“The scholars have a lot of free time to practice, but it’s also important they use that time to think about what they want their brand to be,” he shared. “What kind of lighting enhances my performance? How can I improve my stage presence? Reminding them of the extraordinary number of people working behind the scenes to support them. These are conversations we have all the time.”

That mentorship and continued conversation between faculty and scholars set the tone for the performance assessment of the year: winter juries.

GROWTH, NOT PERFECTION

“Winter juries are a big deal,” said Buckelew. “We’re assessing tone, technique, rhythm and even professionalism. But the work that the students put into them is what really matters. Our job is to guide them through those challenging parts of being a musician and a student, but also to take care of this very important moment in their lives as they’re preparing for the next chapter.”

Preparation for a juried performance looks different for each student, but simultaneous anxiety and excitement are ubiquitous. Just before his performance, aspiring film composer Thomas Poljevka ’24 was feeling good.

“I’m presenting a film score that I wrote for the Berlin Film Scoring Competition. I also have plans to present an arrangement that I’m working on as well as a piano solo,” he said. “I’m a little nervous but ready.”

As he walked across the stage to a mostly empty audience, sans a handful of faculty, Poljevka appeared calm and composed. With his original score playing in the background of an animated short film, the intimidating setting seemed to slowly fade away. The composition fit within each scene perfectly, blending moments of loss and grief with moments of triumph. Poljevka watched on as his work was being synthesized, and eventually graded.

Once the film ended, the faculty took turns asking questions about the technical aspects of Poljevka’s composition. He answered each question confidently, then turned to the piano that sat next to him on stage and played several pieces. After, Poljevka realized he perhaps underestimated how intimidating the experience would be.

“It was nerve-racking to showcase my pieces, but I think it went really well. I feel confident about it despite the nerves.”

As a second-year scholar, Latanision reflected on her jury as a junior, hoping the faculty will see her growth and progress over the past twelve months.

“Last year I performed mostly a mix of classical and musical theater,” she shared. “This year, I’m incorporating more original work. I’d like to showcase other parts of my voice for the panel.”

The panel was not disappointed, and neither was Latanision.

“I feel so good about it,” she said. “It was actually my first time performing one of my songs publicly and I got a lot of helpful feedback and ideas for how to approach my final recital in the spring.”

A Balancing Act

Reflecting on the success of the juries for all scholars, Buckelew said, “This is the most diverse group of talent we’ve had in the program. Everyone brought something different to their performances, and you could tell that they prepared for it. That can be hard to do with so many competing priorities.”

It’s no surprise that high school students have a lot going on.

Outside of rehearsing, studying and preparing for Jacobson, the scholars are balancing a rigorous academic course load and are actively involved in a myriad of clubs, affinity groups and outside activities.

But Cahill says it’s all part of the process.

“These students are essentially experimenting with the life of a musician,” he shared. “They’re playing in concerts, they’re performing at prom, they’re in the pit for the musicals and they’re living their lives in other areas – they’re getting a sense of what it feels like to always be working. At the same time, they’re also finding every opportunity they can to do what they love”

As seniors in the program, the next chapter is a significant one for Maschler and Latanision.

“I want to pursue vocal performance and hopefully minor in songwriting,” Latanision explained. “I’ll finalize my minor once I figure out where I’m going next year because different schools offer different musical courses and programs.”

Although she hasn’t committed to any of the several schools that offered her a spot, Latanision knows that no matter what, she’ll be prepared.

“I will carry with me everything I’ve learned from Jacobson and apply it to stages around the world,” she shared.

As for Maschler, he’s excited to integrate into the music scene at Duke University.

“I want to continue improving as a performer and learning music theory,” he said.

The charisma and confidence that each of the scholars now embodies is unmistakable. According to Cahill, that’s the power of being an artist and a direct result of their experience as a Jacobson Scholar.

“This program makes you believe that you really could earn a living making music,” he said. “It’s a place to gain self-worth, to learn how to be a professional and be yourself. These students are self-assured and confident because they’re learning all the time what it means to triumph and what it means to fail.”

Onward And Upward

As the warm weather creeps in, Upper School students are a constant outdoor fixture — playing frisbee, gathering around picnic tables and studying on blankets across the lawns. For the scholars, their days are increasingly spent inside practice rooms, rehearsing for the culmination of their year within the program: the spring recital.

“This performance has always been part of the program, even with the first Jacobson Scholar in 2000,” shared Buckelew. “It’s eagerly anticipated.”

Well aware of the year’s final hurdle, the scholars have easily spent the better part of the last eight months preparing.

“I still have a lot of work to do!” Poljevka laughed. “My performance has a lot of moving pieces. I’m performing two originals with a string quartet, some woodwinds, brass, a saxophonist and a drummer. We’ve been rehearsing nonstop.”

Allotted 20-minute performances for the juniors and 40 minutes for the seniors, the recitals take place during the school day in hopes of encouraging faculty, staff and students to fill the seats of McAneny Theater.

“What I love about the spring recitals is that these students were self-motivated all year, and the performances are an opportunity for them to show that they never squandered their time. I think by the end, they realize how precious it was,” shared Buckelew.

When asked to reflect on the impact of the program, Campbell discussed how he learned how important it is to share space with a community of creators.

“I never realized how much I benefited from being part of the PDS music community,” he said. “I was able to focus on my own growth as a musician while being surrounded by so many other talented musicians. It’s a really encouraging environment.”

The independence and self-confidence that Latanision found through her time in the program is something she will keep with her forever.

“I got to focus on what I wanted to do and work at my own pace. I can’t overstate how prepared I feel for college and the professional world because of this,” she shared.

For Poljevka, his sense of responsibility has empowered him to take on competing priorities confidently.

“I was surprised by how much responsibility I have as a scholar,” he said. “It’s up to me to decide what to do and how much time to spend on it. That also means it’s on me to know when I could do certain things on my own, or when I needed help.”

And for Maschler, the experience was the perfect way to end his time at PDS.

“I’ve had the time to work on and really improve my slap, fingerstyle and improvisational skills, and that was just the technical side,” he said. “The program has been so freeing to me. To have complete control over what songs I am playing, when I play them and who I perform them with...that kind of creative freedom has been so empowering.”