Fine arts students are some of the nicest, most motivated people on their campus, said Frank Eychaner, an associate professor at the University of Texas Permian Basin.
Eychaner hosted the two-day Small School Choir Camp at the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center on Monday and Tuesday. Approximately 65 students from Andrews, Monahans, Fort Stockton, Compass Academy Charter School, Brownfield and Sweetwater attended.
Students who attend the camp always walk away with a “really great choral experience,” Eychaner said.
“You get the chance to work with some of the best directors in our area. You work alongside other students who are super motivated to do the same things they love. Often the students who want to audition for All-State are some of the best singers and most dedicated people in their program…” he added.
Eychaner said many of these students would call themselves “choir kids.”
“…It is their main activity; not only that they have the opportunity to meet other like-minded students and work intensively for a few days. It really helps them. A lot of these kids will go on to sing in college,” Eychaner said, and they get college scholarships because they have unique skills that are really valuable.
He added that the process of making music together makes them better people.
“… It sounds banal, but children who are in choirs, bands and orchestras do not take up handguns and form social connections. They develop while making music with others; often others who have different perspectives than they do. (It) helps them develop empathy. It helps them develop compassion. It helps them develop really powerful ways to deal with the emotional challenges we all experience.”
“Making music helps them express those feelings in a positive and proactive way, as opposed to what you know builds up until you know there’s some kind of crisis. These people are some of the nicest, kindest, most human-centric students in their school, because that’s what art brings. It makes them better people because they make beautiful music together in an environment with other people,” Eychaner said.
The small school camp lasts only two days and usually has 75 to 80 students.
“…We usually have a contingent from Big Spring, but they couldn’t come this year… Our usual number for this camp is about 75 to 80. But again, like the other camps, (we haven’t) fully recovered COVID,” said Eychaner.
Many of the same methods are used with both large and small school campuses.
“A lot of the techniques will stay the same because the fundamentals, as they say, don’t change. We teach great posture. We teach great breathing techniques. We teach students how to use their voice to sing beautifully in any register. We teach them to sight read well. We teach them to be musical; (We) teach them how to interpret texts. Those will be the same whether I’m teaching a sixth grader or a college student,” Eychaner said.
“What changes is the music. Of course, the small school repertoire is different music. It’s designed for a different constituency of students with different abilities, so it doesn’t tend to have such extreme ranges. It tends to be less divided because the students who go through our small school programs don’t sing such complex repertoire. It’s the same principle. We do not ask our 3 and 4 A soccer teams to play against the 6 A teams. Because if you take the top 12 players from a 400-player school, you’re obviously going to have a different product than if you take the top 12 players from a 4,000-player school. So it’s the same principle. The music should help them to be really successful. It’s a challenge for them, but it’s a different challenge than the big school choirs,” said Eychaner.
He added that they were fortunate to have some incredible section leaders. Mr. Michael Matlock is the Managing Director at Andrews. He directs our tenors. Gabriel Sanchez, a UTPB graduate, is an associate principal at Andrews High School. He leads our bass section. Mrs. Billie Lou Billett is an assistant at Monahans; long, long career of very, very successful choirs across West Texas. Our soprano section leader is Ms. Whitney Ellison. She’s actually in Andrews Middle School, but she’s just a fantastic teacher. I’m very happy to have her,” said Eychaner.
In each section there are a few UTPB high school students who sing, help and coach individual students.
“We are adding value to the camp by welcoming some of our singing teachers, Dr. Rachelle Woolston and Mr David Corman, ask that students be taken out to one-on-one tuition throughout the week so that the children have the opportunity to have some in-depth study in their own voice. It’s very helpful for them,” Eychaner said.
Meri Jane Cargile, the choirmaster at Brownfield Middle and High School, is in her fifth and third years at camp.
“…I am rebuilding the choir program and it has helped me a lot. When I came there were very few children in the choir. And between the two campuses we’re down to about 150 now, so it built the excitement and musicality for the students,” said Cargile.
“I think the easiest way to put it is when you’re in a small school and you don’t see other people singing that much, when you come to something like that, it gives you a vision of what could be,” she added added .
She bought six students on Tuesday.
She added that the camp is far from Brownfield.
“There are camps that are closer together, but I think this one is… more likeable. dr Eychaner is simply fabulous. He interacts so well with the students,” said Cargile.
It’s a smaller campus than, say, Texas Tech, but the quality of instruction is fabulous, she added. The students also get to know other colleagues from smaller schools.
Omar Guerrero, director of choirs at Fort Stockton Middle and High School, said there are about 50 in the high school program and about 80 in middle school.
As a new teacher, Guerrero says the camp was great for him because he gets to see other local teachers practicing their craft.
“I’ve been in and out of different sessions of different sections – tenors, basses, alto, soprano. They are all very effective in the way they teach, and my students sing with other singers who love to sing as much as they do,” Guerrero said.
He added that this is the first time some of his students have been able to attend camp because of COVID.
Guerrero said he can already see that the camp is helping his students.
“The kids who choose to come are usually the ones who lead my choir. They are the best singers in the choir and now they are with other singers; other great singers; a little more competition. Hopefully all of the regional auditions go well. But at least it will make them work a little harder, knowing that there are other singers who are just as good as them, if not better,” Guerrero said.
Daeja Dominguez, a 16-year-old junior from Fort Stockton, said this is her first time attending one of the camps.
Dominguez said it’s cool because when she did all-region before, she had to learn music on her own, so that helps her learn the music.
She added that she likes being around students who are just as good as her.
Dominguez said the experience will give her confidence if she auditions during the state’s search.
Kireima Garcia Johnson, a 16-year-old from Monahans High School, Ave Magill, a 15-year-old from Andrews High School, and Christyn Allen, 17, from Sweetwater High School are all glad they were a part of the camp.
“I think it takes something hard and abnormal that we do (and) make ourselves more competent to go before a judge,” Allen said.
