Music makes a difference

“Accordion” to West High students and staff, music plays a big role in the way they live their lives.

Music makes a difference

Mary Vander Weg & Jared Kula, West Side Story Intern

Next time you walk down the hall, count how many people you see wearing headphones. Count the kids drumming on their desks or tapping their fingers. Count all the hums and whistles you hear. I am sure the number will surprise you. West High School is filled with music and its enthusiasts day in and day out, and everyone is impacted differently.

“Music has made me who I am today,” said Samantha Saylor ‘19. Saylor, who can often be found with earbuds in, enjoys the way music focuses her. “I get to block out everyone else.”

Sarah Kula ‘16, has noticed the natural place music has in the West High setting. “There’s always music around you,” Kula said. “It can help you relax.”

Music around West High isn’t solely important to the students. “I like the way music makes me feel,” explains Rob Medd, one of the two West High band directors. But it is not just the music that has changed Medd’s life. “The [band] students impact me the most. I like to get to know them.”

  There are a total of 728 students in the West High music programs. Whether it be singing, playing, or anything in between, our school is packed full of all kinds of virtuosos. “I can play the recorder and the flute,” says Kula, “but not enough to impress anyone.” The music skill in West High ranges from little to extensive, but many students and teachers consider themselves “musical” in some way. Saylor, who has recently started learning to play the guitar, was inspired to start by those around her. “My father and my brother played and that made me want to.” she says. Though some are only learning, many West High students have wide musical range. Of 100 polled students, 68 were able to play more than one instrument . “I can play all the [band] instruments,” says Medd, “but some better than others.”

 

Not only do West students and staff have a wide variety of musical ability, but a wide range of music taste as well. “My brother told me told me, ‘You have to appreciate all music styles to be a band director’,” Medd, who enthuses about all genres, said. “Lost of people call it scary, but I find the fact that they like pop music terrifying,” said Saylor, whose favorite genre, screamo, may surprise some. Others, like Medd, are not so decisive. Kula explains how her music taste changes throughout the year. “I tend to like pop more in the spring and early summer, alternative in the fall, and techno crap in winter.” She explains.

West High students and staff also owe a lot of their time to music. This includes the multitasking members of the West High show choirs, to the devoted players in the jazz bands. All these people have something in common – they love the music. There are currently around 10 extracurricular opportunities involving music, and are each filled with dedicated kids and teachers.