Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

Despite the enthusiasm for music at Havergal, the preceding 1996 Chronicle article by Cilla Kent reveals that in 1968, when Elisabeth Muir was appointed Havergal’s first full-time Music teacher, “there was just one choir and a piano group. As impressive as the department was, Muir was determined to develop equally strong choral and orchestral programs.” By the time she retired in 2001, she had done just that, with far-reaching effects. In “Havergal Makes Music” by Susan Pink, which appeared in the Spring 2000 issue of Torch , teacher Paul McCulloch conveyed his excitement about the program: “We love to see students applying their knowledge, understanding and love of music in other aspects of their lives … Knowledge and passion for music are part of the ethos at Havergal, and you can sense it in everything we do here.” It is not only student participation that has increased, however. So have repertoires that provide even more opportunities to explore the music of a wide range of cultures and countries. While students may study vocal and instrumental music during the school day, they also avail themselves of private lessons offered before and after classes. In addition, the co-curricular program has long featured eager singers who practise outside class to ensure they bring pleasure to their (always delighted) audiences. Each of the Junior, Middle and Senior Schools has a choir, and the school also excitedly awaits performances of the Jazz and Chamber Choirs. Since its earliest days, the music Havergal makes has found its way out into the larger world. On an impressive number of occasions, starting in 1971, the Senior Choir has travelled to England, and in 2013, students and staff visited Central Europe. However, there is reason to believe that the music program will play a more significant role locally. In the Spring 2017 Torch article mentioned below, Lynn Janes, head of Music from 2007–17, articulated an even bolder vision when interviewed for “A History of Music at Havergal,” which appeared in the Spring 2017 Torch : “I think that

Ludemus , 1915.

Music

Havergal: Celebrating a Century tells us that music played a part in daily life at Havergal from the day the school opened. Excursions to Massey Hall were complemented by in-school performances given by the school’s talented staff and their associates, who taught music appreciation as well as vocal and instrumental music. Such concerts no doubt inspired the students to enrol in the vocal or instrumental music programs about which Ellen Knox boasted in her report of 1899. Entrance prizes to the College of Music were already in Havergal hands. Havergal girls were represented in the Mendelssohn Choir and … [s]oloists were preparing for work in England. There was a burgeoning orchestral society that humbly called themselves “a modest mission band” … However, the principal emphasized the point that children or young girls must not spend hours on music practice before they were ready to feel and portray the depth of emotion the composer demanded in the composition.

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