Musical Freshman
New students bring diverse talents to college's music department
Liz Essley
Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: Arts
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Not only that, but Hillsdale continues to attract a higher caliber of musicians overall, said associate professor of music James Holleman.
"We are getting to the point where our students are more advanced," Holleman said. "We're having to compete with other schools for them."
Holleman noted the quality of new facilities and the increasing strength of ensembles and faculty as reasons for the music department's continuing success.
He compared the department to the saying,"Build it and they will come."
"We built it and they're coming," he said. "It's building on its own energy and reputation."
The new musical talent on campus got its debut at the orchestra concert on Parent Weekend. Freshmen Aubrey Annis, Rachael Acheson and Becky Schoon all had key roles in the performance.
"They were all kind of thrown in the deep end. And they handled it well. They swam," Holleman said.
Despite being the only oboist in the orchestra, Annis kept her cool.
"My band conductor had me play a lot of solos in high school. So it was a little nerve wracking, since it was my first time in college, but it wasn't too bad," she said.
Freshman musicians on scholarship will form the backbone of the music department in years to come, and some - like Annis, Acheson, Schoon and Zach Weisman - are already starting to fill that role.
Becky Schoon
Before she cut her long, blonde hair, freshman Becky Schoon was easily mistaken for her sister, senior Tricia Schoon, known around campus for her art and phenomenal jazz voice. But though Tricia has been around Hillsdale longer, she says that it is Becky who casts the musical shadow.
"I really don't think of myself as being musical in the same way that she is," Tricia Schoon said. "She is very talented."
Becky Schoon is the only freshman to earn a spot in the chamber choir this year, as well as the principal french horn player in the orchestra.
"Her skills are very well-rounded, both vocally and instrumentally. She's obviously had very good teachers and has been disciplined in her approach," Holleman said.
Tricia Schoon confirmed this. "She's so diligent in practicing, far more than many people I know. She knows when she hasn't practiced - she can feel it. She has a very, very good ear," she said.
But mellifluous notes didn't come easily at first.
"When she first started playing, my parents were like, 'Who let the moose in the house?' And I got really annoyed because our walls were really thin," Tricia Schoon said.
Becky Schoon said she likes the sense of accomplishment music gives her.
"I just enjoy the challenge of playing the music," she said. "I enjoy that when you put the work into it, you do get results."
Zach Weisman
Freshman Zach Weisman could be said to be double-instrumenting at Hillsdale. He receives music scholarships for both the piano and the viola.
He tries to practice piano for two hours every day, and viola for one hour.
"It's not difficult right now, but that might change," he said.
Holleman said Weisman would have a prominent role in the orchestra and in accompaniments in the coming years.
"He's going to be kind of a workhorse for us," Holleman said. "He'll be pulling the plow, if you will."
Weisman has been playing piano for fifteen years, and viola for five.
"I like the piano more because I'm more proficient at it. With the viola, I'm still not happy with how I sound. But the piano is an instrument with which you kind of get stuck in the practice room. With viola you get to get out with the orchestra," he said.
Integrity to the written note marks Weisman's musicianship, he says. He makes an extra effort to remain true to the composer's original intent for the sound of the piece.
Rachael Acheson
Before every orchestra rehearsal, freshman Rachel Acheson can be found in practice room 131 fitting her harp, bigger than she is, into a special dolly that helps her wheel it down the hall, into the elevator and up to McNamara Rehearsal Hall.
"Full size harps are like 84 pounds, so I definitely couldn't carry it by myself," she said.
Acheson's small frame may give her trouble when hauling her harp, but it fits gracefully alongside her instrument as she plays, long blonde hair thrown back behind her shoulder, fingers flitting up and down the strings.
The only harpist for the orchestra, and one of only a handful in the entire school, Acheson has been playing harp for about five years. She started after becoming dissatisfied with the piano.
"Is there any other instrument you would rather play?" her mother asked her.
She chose the harp, and commenced a high school harp career that involved hour-long drives to lessons from her small hometown of Iowa Falls, Iowa, to a state university every week.
Aubrey Annis
When freshman Aubrey Annis joined the college orchestra, she became the third Annis to play for Hillsdale. Her two older sisters, seniors Erika and Erin Annis, play flute and clarinet in the orchestra.
The principal and only oboist in the orchestra this year, Annis has been playing oboe since she was in the fifth grade.
"My parents had us all start music at the same time, or at least our woodwind instruments at the same time. They wanted us to have experience playing in a band or orchestra," she said.
Annis said she chose the oboe because it was the most difficult and rarest instrument in the woodwind section.
Now she and her sisters enjoy playing trios together.
Before coming to Hillsdale, Annis received a "1" - the highest score possible - at Michigan's Solo and Ensemble Competition for three consecutive years. She was also one of a select group of students to play with the Lansing Symphony in a special concert once a year for two years.
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