The Senior Music Awards took place in the auditorium on May 7. With 54 seniors in this years’ graduating class across the music department, every music student received a plaque with their name and the music emblem for participating in the music program here at Hayes. During the ceremony, 12 honorable awards were given to recipients, giving them a higher recognition for their time in the department.
Among those senior students, Rosemary Cranston was awarded one of the two director awards given by Ms. Selley for orchestra. Cranston plays the violin and is the President of Hayes Players, along with being Vice President of Hayes’ Tri-M troupe this year.
The second director’s award for orchestra was awarded to Anna Lance, a violist in Hayes Players.
The graduating seniors in the orchestra program had three different directors over the time spent at the High School.
“They each went to different schools and the three had different experiences, so they each brought different techniques into the orchestra,” Cranston said.
Some students have chosen to pursue their musical career past high school. The class of 2024 has students continuing their education in the area of music. Gavyn Schooley is attending The Ohio State University this upcoming fall where he will be pursuing a degree in music education.
“Helping people learn and seeing the excitement on their faces when they succeeded was really cool,” Schooley said. “That was when I realized that I wanted to become a teacher.”
Schooley was awarded the John Philip Sousa award for his work brought to the marching band along with the many band ensembles he was a part of, including Hayes’ Jazz Band.
With holding a leadership position in any ensemble across the music department, the seniors were able to give a speech, highlighting their year and what they have accomplished throughout their time here.
With the end of the year shortly around the corner, band, choir and orchestra performed their final concert around the beginning of May.
“Everyone has contributed so much to the music program across their years here,” Cranston said.
Whether it’s being an example for underclassmen in class or helping improve the program however they can, each senior has put in their time and effort into becoming Hayes Musicians which, in turn, has created meaningful relationships with their peers.
“There’s always a group of seniors in the choir room, every morning before school starts,” choir director Dara Gillis said. “It’s always nice to see them have a smile, be ready to go and be supporting each other.”
With each year bringing new students into Hayes’ music program, the activeness of the music department continues to grow within the community. Even with the ever growing numbers students find a way to connect with one another to create a bonded and creative environment.
Over their four years at Hayes, students were given the opportunity to go on trips with their music group to places such as New York City, Chicago, and even Walt Disney World. On these trips students got to experience new areas with their peers and bond along the way.
“The memories from [Hollywood Studies] were unlike any other memories I have,” Schooley said. “They’re very distinct, good memories from that day.”
With each group of seniors moving into the next chapter, high schoolers participating in the music program have seen a rotation of new directors throughout their high school career. Seniors in the orchestra program have been taught by three different directors while in the high school program, along with band students having a change of directors in 2022.
“Just a big thank you to the directors,” Cranston said. “I’m excited to see what comes next.”
