On Wednesday, May 28, the State High Advanced Rock Ensemble performed a selection of their favorite songs in the LGI auditorium. The performance began at 7:00 pm and lasted nearly three hours with an intermission in the middle.
Over the course of the event, 20 songs were played. Many were covers of songs by bands, and a few, including “Solitude” by teacher and ensemble director Paul Leskowicz. “Original” by junior guitarist Evan Zorn and “Stormstown Clown” by student Teddy Schaeffer were originals that were written and performed by members of the ensemble.
The songs ranged in variety from alternative rock to metal. Of these, one included the alternative rock song “Mary Jane” by Alanis Morissette. The song was performed by senior vocalist Mackie Schark.
“I love [the song] ‘Mary Jane.’ It’s by Alanis Morissette, and in my sophomore year, I sang another song by her. So it was kind of cool to sing it again,” Schark said.
Rock Ensemble provides a unique environment where students can express themselves and explore different genres of music. In the ensemble, students can play music not typically covered in other music classes.
“[Rock Ensemble] brings another kind of music environment. A lot of my friends want to go into aspects of music that are kind of far away from classical music, performance or composition. And this just allows for a little bit of exploration into that kind of industry and that kind of experience, which is different,” Zorn said.
In addition to the unique music played in the rock ensemble, the class also has a structure different from many other music classes. In both the Advanced Rock Ensemble and the regular Rock Ensemble, the songs performed are chosen by the students in the class.
“I think [Rock Ensemble] brings a lot of individuality… There’s no other music program that has the students pick the songs. We sign up for what songs we want to do, and it’s very free,” Schark said.
Many students in Rock Ensemble enjoy performing and want to pursue music in their future careers. Because student admission to the Advanced Rock Ensemble performance was free, many students’ friends and family showed up to cheer the performers on. During some of the songs in the show, students used props such as signs and a smoke machine.
The State High Advanced and regular Rock Ensembles put on around four performances per year. These performances allow students to share music they love and have fun.
