Twice a month, as the Chapin community walks through the front doors of 100 East End Avenue, they are welcomed by the sound of live music — performed by students and Professional Community (PC) members — setting a joyful tone for the day.
With the great success of last year's Chapin's Arts Alive showcase, where live musicians and dancers performed every morning for a full week, Lower School Dance Teacher Susan Strong, along with the Arts Team, were inspired to expand this project beyond a single week.
After sending out an initial email to the community to invite singers, musicians and dancers to highlight their artistic abilities and strengthen their performance skills while presenting live at Chapin, Ms. Strong was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response. Now, the Arts Team is able to hold Live Music Mornings from 7:30-8:10 a.m. twice a month while continuing the tradition of Arts Alive week each spring.
Live Music Mornings spotlights both student artists and members of the PC, who choose to perform solo or alongside colleagues or classmates. Throughout the year there have been myriad performances across departments and divisions.
To kick off the series, Upper School Math Teacher Owen Zach sang a medley of songs. Upper School students, Xi S. and Sydney D-V. performed acoustic pop songs showcasing their talent with over 7 years of experience playing the guitar each. Both students are heavily involved in the arts at Chapin, performing in shared groups like Allepaca (Chapin’s a capella group), The Kilts (Upper School rock band), Chorus, the winter Play and the spring Musical. “Performing at Chapin means sharing parts of ourselves with others — getting to show off our hours of hard work,” said Xi and Sydney. “But the performance wasn’t just for the people who came to watch it, it was for us. Getting to perform together, or, rather, getting to perform with each other means a lot.”
This initiative has become a tremendous success, spreading joy and talent throughout the building and something everyone looks forward to.
Ms. Strong shared that one of the primary goals of the project is to showcase the vibrant arts presence within the School. She said, “I hope it is a way to build confidence, provide space to sharpen performance skills, highlight talent within our community and create a welcoming, exciting space to greet members of the community into the building.”
Performers have full agency over their presentations, choosing their songs, instruments and setup, allowing each showcase to feel authentic and personal. At the start of each Live Music Morning, artists introduce themselves and often explain why they chose specific songs on their set list.
A performance in January featured Upper School World Languages Department Head and Spanish Teacher Inés Gómez-Ochoa whose song selections reflected her heritage and personal journey. “I decided to use the songs to create a mini-timeline of my personal story,” she said. A lifelong professional musician, Ms. Gómez-Ochoa has performed many times throughout her years at Chapin — at Assemblies, with students and with Chapin’s community singing group, Later Gators. She continued, “Performing is a form of sharing. Performing music is, for me, sharing what is most personal, my inner-most landscape…Of all musical forms, singing with others is the most powerful tool to create community.”
During each Live Music Morning, a crowd, made up of Lower, Middle and Upper School students along with PC members, gradually gathers, cheering on the talented musicians who proudly take the spotlight. Some pause to listen and enjoy the full performance, while others — on their way to class or the Gordon Room for breakfast — take in the music as they pass through the main hall. Either way, the experience allows everyone to begin their day immersed in the arts.
“I love the joy it brings! I love seeing the smiles on those who pass by, the pride in the performers' faces,” Ms. Strong said. “I love the welcoming feeling it has for those entering the building.” She added that one of the most impressive and rewarding parts is seeing former Lower School students step confidently into leadership roles as performers. She is equally excited to discover the hidden talents of her colleagues.
In February, Upper School student Brooke M. performed covers of “Lover, You Should've Come Over” by Jeff Buckley, and Miski’s “How Deep Is Your Love” with the accompaniment of Juna M-N. and Giana M-G. on the drums and electric guitar, respectively.
Associate Head of School Xiomara Hall also took the stage, accompanied by Upper School English and Music Teacher Elizabeth Adler on the piano. After a few rehearsals, the duo performed a set that Ms. Hall described as, “songs that represent things that are important to me. I listened to all of these songs growing up.” Surrounded by artists throughout her childhood and adult life, Ms. Hall was eager to share this meaningful part of herself with the Chapin community.
Their set celebrated love and cultural history, featuring classics such as “My Girl” by The Temptations, “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole and “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone.
Live Music Mornings offers community members the opportunity to share a piece of themselves through music — something many of these artists are doing live for the first time. As Ms. Hall said, “We are multifaceted people, and it is special to share our interests with the community.”
Congratulations to all of the Live Music Morning performers — past and those to come — on an incredible celebration of artistry and an opportunity to build connection through music.
As Ms. Gómez-Ochoa said, Live Music Mornings “showcase musical talent from within our walls. It normalizes the sharing of multiple experiences, of the many parts that make us, under this roof, who we are.”
