13 minute read
The Sound of SAC Music
By Julie Caspersen
Music has been nurturing the souls of St. Andrew’s students from the beginning. Each generation of Andreans has benefitted from an ever more vigorous and varied music curriculum plus a growing slate of extra-curricular offerings.
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The extensive band program currently offered is built on 122 years of educating students to be well-rounded and helping them develop an appreciation for the arts. The past 20 years have seen the Music program flourish into a highly sought-after option.
You’ll often hear the music teachers tout that they are the largest school team. And they wouldn’t be wrong. “From a program that began with 29 boys in one performing ensemble when I started, more than half the school now participates in music,” says Sandi Chasson, who joined SAC in 2001 as Head of Music.
Sandi is finishing the school year on a high note, having conducted the Wind Ensemble on stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
The ensemble musicians were relieved to be able to journey to New York in April to play at the WorldStrides Music Festival at Carnegie Hall, following a two-year travel hiatus due to the pandemic. This invitation was extended following a competition at the 2019 WorldStrides Festival in Chicago.
“Our three performing ensembles achieved the highest-standing award in each category. The Overall Outstanding Performance was awarded to the Wind Ensemble,” Sandi says. This achievement resulted in the invitation for the ensemble to perform at Carnegie Hall.
“Performing in the iconic Carnegie Hall is a musician’s dream. From the first note that resonated in the Stern Auditorium to the last chord, SAC’s performance was magical,” Sandi says. “The boys worked so hard, despite all of our obstacles and postponements. They gave it their all. I could not be prouder!”
Garry Page, Director of Bands, made the trip to New York City and states that performing on the historic stage is a career high for many musicians.
“What a significant life experience for the students of the Wind Ensemble and Pipes & Drums to perform at Carnegie Hall,” he says. >>
Photo Credit: C.G. Vincent Photography
Top to bottom: Sandi Chasson, Eric McMillan, John Richardson
St. Andrew’s students performed a rich and varied program musically and communicatively, which included Sòlas Ané (Yesterday’s Joy) by Samuel R. Hazo, Red Rock Mountain by Rossano Galante, and Song for Mary by Mike Steele, for which the Wind Ensemble was joined on stage by the Pipes & Drums.
“We can be proud of these young men for their discipline, focus, and commitment in preparing for this prestigious event. We congratulate these musicians and the team of professionals who have nurtured and coached them along the way,” Garry says.
SAC musicians have traditionally shared their talents beyond the gates. “The Wind Ensemble has performed worldwide, acting as an ambassador for St. Andrew’s College and Canada. It is regarded as one of the top musical ensembles in the country,” Sandi says, listing the performance destinations: Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Banff, Chicago, New York, Disney World Florida, a Caribbean cruise, London, Paris, Budapest, Prague, and Vienna.
“One of my all-time highlights was when the Wind Ensemble was chosen as a musical ambassador to represent Canada at the 2012 London Olympics. Watching the Pipes & Drums and our bandsmen march in the Olympic Village was one of the proudest moments of my career,” she recalls.
John Clements, former Head of Music, who started at SAC in 1976 and is now the school’s organist, recalls accompanying the first Jazz Band trip to Sweden in the late 1970s, where several concerts were performed, followed a few years later by a music trip to Leksand, the Town of Aurora’s twin city in Sweden, where they played on a ferry to the Aland Islands off the coast of Finland.
John says studying jazz helps develop imagination and the repertoire often requires soloists to improvise. He’s witnessed many students compose short, wonderful pieces of music that have been showcased at school events.
Eric McMillan, a member of the music faculty since 2017, says his goal is to make music more prevalent in the everyday lives of students. “This started with the introduction of the Guitar Club. What began as a small group of dedicated boys has since evolved into a part of the Arts/Cocurricular Plus (ACPlus) program, with groups sometimes containing 25 or more boys.”
ACPlus was launched in 2018 as an elective program for Upper School students to pursue their passions. In addition to such offerings as chess, rocketry, genealogy, and Model UN, there have been a host of popular musical options: snare drumming bagpiping beats, rhymes, and life ukulele a cappella music improv piano blues, boogie, and jazz for pianists beginner drumming songwriting music technology sound production
“Rock Band has since been added to ACPlus. Boys who have experience with their instruments can learn to play in a group and perform around the Andrean community. The program has been a game changer for SAC, allowing non-music students to experiment with music and seasoned players to develop their skills further,” Eric says.
“Musicians are masters of teamwork. Band members have to work together with their colleagues to produce the optimum result, just like a sports team,” John Clements adds.
The younger students, especially, embrace music class with gusto. The Middle School Music program, under the guidance of John Richardson, has developed into a robust and exciting opportunity offering Beginner Band, Jazz Band, Pop Band, and an award-winning Level 200 Concert Band.
“The Music program has become more robust in the 18 years that I have taught at SAC. The incredibly strong band program that Sandi brought to its current level has always been an integral part of the school, but now we have engaged many more would-be musicians with our diverse musical offerings,” John Richardson says.
SAC’s new Percussion Ensemble performed at the Celtic Night concert in February, combining students from the classical percussion and Pipes & Drums programs. “Opening the group to all percussionists in the Upper School has helped bolster interconnectedness between the two programs and create a culture of mentorship between the various grade groups,” says Ryan Johnston, SAC’s Artist-in-Residence.
The school year kicks off with the SAC Band Camp Experience for Upper School students. This intensive, three-day program provides masterclasses, rehearsals, concerts, and, above all, fun.
This school year, with COVID-19 waning and restrictions lifting, musicians were glad to be back rehearsing together and performing live.
The Music Department busily prepares for many performances on and off-campus during the school year. These include An Andrean Christmas at Roy Thomson Hall, Ontario Band Association and MusicFest competitions, CISMF, the Celtic Concert, Cadet Inspection, Church Parade, coffee houses, open mic nights, community service performances for veterans, and the Focus Festival of the Arts.
“Then we teach classes!” Sandi exclaims. X
ACADEMY OF MUSIC
A relatively new initiative is the development of the St. Andrew’s Academy of Music. This program, now in its fifth year, offers a fantastic resource for SAC students to easily access private study on any instrument plus voice, theory, jazz, and composition. Academy students study with world-class professional visiting music teachers who help them prepare for auditions, competitions, and examinations through the Royal Conservatory of Music. “Our in-school music curriculum and our extra-curricular program through the St. Andrew’s Academy of Music share common goals. We wish our students to experience community and common bonds through the universal language of music,” says Garry Page, Director of Bands, who is also Academy Director.
“We encourage our students to become the best musicians they can be and to emerge as tomorrow’s performers, audiences, and supporters of the arts.”
Top to bottom: John Clements, Garry Page, Ryan Johnston
The music faculty fosters love and passion for all types of music. Their goal is to create patrons of the arts who appreciate and love music for life. Their enthusiasm exposes students to the highest standards. “I truly value the connections I make with my students. I remind them that their musical experiences at St. Andrew’s College will be some of their strongest memories of their time at this wonderful school and will stay with them for a lifetime,” says Sandi Chasson, Head of Music.
Here is what some Old Boys have to say about the influence music has on their lives.
ASHLEY NEWALL ’91
As a performer, music is community. I’ve hosted countless open mics and battles of the bands in Ottawa, and it brings like-minded people together, both musically and in terms of forming strong friendships. This, beyond the pure joy of playing and listening, is the biggest gift music has given me. Nowadays, I play Top 40 covers part-time in pubs, and it’s a great outlet for both joy and letting out any frustrations. My favourite musical memory at SAC was performing my own Christmas song at the annual Carol Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. I’d written the song specifically for the event. My keyboardist had rattled the audience’s teeth with his volume at the previous year’s edition. It took a lot of last-minute lobbying of then-Head of School Bob Bedard by Chris Mitchele ’91 – during intermission, no less – to get us on the bill. Our performance was a departure from the norm and was very well-received.
DAN NELLES ’92
Music was my favourite class when I was at SAC. It was a place to be creative and expressive at the same time. Music really is the soundtrack to our lives. Certain songs transport you back into the moments in your life when you first heard them, thus generating great memories.
As the lead drummer for the Pipes & Drums, I kept the cadence for the entire school, so it was the one time in my life where I could legitimately say that people were marching to the beat of my drum!
CHRISTOPHER SEGUIN BIANCHI ’20
The Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Middle School Band all teach skills about organization, responsibility, and commitment. These skills are useful for the rest of your life. I learned more about myself during band than I did in any other program at SAC. It was the best experience ever.
Music was my favourite class when I was at
SAC. – Dan Nelles ’92
THOMAS LITTLE ’13
Music is enriching in endless ways, teaching life lessons before you even realize it. Performing with a large band is an incredibly humbling experience. You learn to use your intuition and sway with the ebbs and flows, sometimes leaving space for other instruments while playing with confidence when it’s your time to shine. You quickly learn to check your ego at the door. Understanding that you’re at your best when those around you are too is an invaluable lesson. There’s no “star player” who can carry a band, which is why I find music so beautiful.
JUSTIN LIU ’19
I did not expect to get involved in music when I first came to SAC, and by the time I graduated, music was my favourite aspect of my experience at the school. All it took to kickstart my musical experience at SAC was giving the clarinet a try in Beginner Band. I still remind myself from time to time to step out of my comfort zone and give something new a try, as it might be the beginning of another wonderful, fulfilling experience.
IAN TERRY ’66
I believe music education and formal exposure to music in primary and secondary education are essential to developing critical-thinking and decision-making skills. A nation without music is a nation without a soul, and it also directly affects the ability of a young person’s creative development in lateral-thinking skills.
In the early 1990s, I enjoyed my music experience with John Clements and Aubrey Foy; however, it was nothing like it has been in more recent years. I had come from a very musical home environment (with the family piano business), and so I was blown away by the musical skill of both Mr. Clements and Mr. Foy. I loved chapel, particularly for the pipe organ. By Grade 12, I had permission to go in on my own during my spare time and play the pipe organ in the chapel for myself. It was great. To this day, I still go to my digital piano, select the pipe organ sound with full reverb, and play And Did Those Feet In Ancient Times at full volume. Without music, the world would be bland. I always told my kids when they were starting and progressing through piano lessons and music in general: imagine your favourite blockbuster movie of all time - action, romance, drama, comedy, whatever. Remove the soundtrack completely, and it would lose so much of the impact it has on us emotionally while watching the film.
Without music the world would be bland.
– John Schienke ’95
KEVIN KUAN ’18
Learning music isn’t just about learning how to play an instrument. As a piano teacher, I always tell my students that music also teaches you valuable life skills such as commitment, patience, and resilience.
JACK DAVIES ’18
A lot of the things taught at Berklee College of Music were things that I had already learned at SAC. In particular, Ms Chasson’s Wind Ensemble had such incredible attention to detail that it fine-tuned my musical ear to hear the smallest details regarding articulation, dynamics, phrasing, and more. I even learned the upright bass, which is something I couldn’t play before being in the Wind Ensemble. That alone has paid my rent many times over, believe it or not.
ALLEN HU ’18
One aspect of the Music program that stuck with me was the love for group accomplishments and teamwork. As a euphonium player, it is rare that I ever get a melody component to a piece. However, I learned that playing a support role is equally as important as the melody; otherwise, the melody will often sound “empty” or “ungrounded.” This idea helped me learn how to better cooperate with others in projects and internships, where I can learn how to navigate my role in a complex and dynamic team environment.
LUCAS DEMELLO ’21
Music taught me to have a proper work ethic, something I use every day in university. If Ms Chasson assigned us a song to play, we had to practice. Music is a subject that you cannot cram for; the only way to succeed is through practice and determination. Having learned this and directly observing the relationship between my effort and success in music class, I started to use that attitude in other classes like maths and sciences, leading me to the engineering program I’m in today. A good work ethic is a key to my academic success at university, and I owe it to the Music program at SAC.
– Lucas DeMello ’21
DHRUV KRISHNAN ’15
Music can open a lot of doors. During my time at SAC and beyond, I have had countless opportunities to build personal and professional connections, travel, learn, and have fun. I am grateful for these opportunities that I likely would not have had were it not for my involvement in music.
– Jack Davies ’18
