Music is more than notes on a page– it’s an avenue that builds community, allows creativity, and is built on dedication and passion. Last week Shoreline sat down with our school’s band director, Mr. Chodoroff, to talk about his journey with music, his inspiration as he teaches band classes, works with marching band, and conducts the pit during the musical each spring. From revealing his approach on how he chooses the perfect repertoire to how he motivates students through tough rehearsals, he shares things he does to give HPHS students a strong music education.
Q: If you could have any musician –alive or dead– join our band for one rehearsal, who would it be? Mozart – I wonder what he would think if he heard our band today. And what would be his reaction with all the different instruments that have developed throughout history till now, especially his perspective in terms of the different colors and purposes of each instrument. Wynton Marsalis – Marsalis was one of my personal musical idols as a kid. I would love to have him play with the band and be around him in general. He’s a very smart and intelligent musician and a very deep thinker. Very inspired by him.
Q: What inspired you to become a band director? I found out while I was in college that I had a passion not only for playing music but also sharing music with other people. I also had many different private teachers that were huge inspirations for me. The relationship I had with them was something that I wanted to have and develop with students of my own.
Q: How do you choose music for performances or competitions? It’s a long process. I spend a lot of time thinking about this. I think about the ensemble’s level and try to choose pieces that are challenging but can also be played at a high level. It’s important to find that balance. It’s also important to play music from different eras and different styles. For example, incorporating a march, a transcription or a medley. It’s important that we build a healthy, well rounded and thorough diet. Maybe something from the 1900’s but then also written last year. A big goal of mine is to make sure that 25% of the programs for all the bands throughout the year are written by composers of color or from minorities. For example, music from African American heritage, music from female composers, or maybe music of Latin heritage. I think it’s really important for the students to also see themselves in the composers. Some examples include Michelle Fernadez, Kataj Kaply, Devin Day, and Julie Giroux.
Q: What’s the most rewarding part of being a band director? Getting to work with the students every day. Getting to hear the journey over four years, getting to hear where you come in as a freshman and how you leave as seniors, and getting to work on great music at a high level.
Q: How do you motivate students when things get tough during rehearsals? It’s really hard, I think about this all the time. There are lots of different ways. I always find that the biggest thing I can do to motivate them is to show them that music is fun, exciting, joyful and challenging and hope that that motivation trickles down to students. I also believe in providing a lot of opportunities, whether it be all the different music groups that we run outside the school day, bringing in guest artists, doing field trips –like going to the CSO–, last year we went on a trip to Austria, things that show them different opportunities out there. A goal of mine is to always provide opportunities to explore different music in different settings.
Q: How do you see the band program growing or evolving in the future? That’s a good question. We’ve really stayed consistent through COVID in terms of the number of students that are in the band. That’s a bit on the rare side, there are a lot of music departments around the country that felt a big dip, but we’ve been able to maintain and stay consistent, and so I would love to continue in this vein, and I’m hopeful always that more students would continue to play in high school, that’s what I’m always working towards, but we have a good consistency in our program and that’s awesome.
Q: What’s your favorite piece of music to conduct? That’s a good question. Gustav Holst’s Suite in E-flat is one of my favorites to conduct. I love conducting David Maslanka’s Give Us This Day and Festival Overture by Dmitri Shostakovich; it’s just one of my favorites. I just love these pieces.
After talking with Mr. Chodoroff, it’s clear that his love for music can be seen in the thoughtful process in choosing those challenges for students and in the way he creates opportunities for them to grow. His dedication and passion helps make HPHS’s band program more than just music– but a place to build community and an appreciation for the art.
