Posted February 26, 2024
As Plymouth High School students prepare for upcoming Solo & Ensemble competitions, they are benefitting from recent technology upgrades to the choir room made possible by the Plymouth Education Foundation.
Choral director Amanda Smith received a $2,300 grant from the foundation to purchase equipment that better suits daily 21st century teaching strategies.
Self reflection – where musicians listen to rehearsal recordings and use that feedback to improve – is a key part of the PHS curriculum and supported by state and national music education standards, Mrs. Smith explained in the grant application.
“Students need to hear what it sounds like as a whole from the audience's perspective in order to fully comprehend what they need to continue to work on,” she wrote. “When students listen to themselves, they learn. They set goals, and they can hear their progress in real time.”
Prior to the upgrade, recordings were taken using cell phones and played back over outdated speakers, which combined for terrible quality. Mrs. Smith said she regularly told students, “Keep in mind these speakers are not great; you sound better in real life.”
District technician Scott Bunyea helped determine the equipment needed for the upgrade – including speakers, a mixer, an amplifier, and microphones – which were installed last summer.
Mrs. Smith thanked the foundation for the new technology, which benefits three concert choirs, a show choir, and an a cappella group.
“With the large amount of performances our department puts on annually, the community will see the impact of these shows immediately in the continual elevating of the quality of performances at PHS,” Mrs. Smith said.
Learn more:
• Visit the Plymouth Education Foundation Grants webpage.
• Explore The Arts section of our interactive, award-winning District Report Card to learn more about our extensive and varied performance opportunities.
