NURTURING EXCELLENCE ONE STUDENT AT A TIME: CIM’S NEW ACADEMY By Suzanne de Roulet
Students in CIM’s new Youth Program explore the piano. (Photo by Tanya Rosen Jones)
“I want to try something new,” Jennifer Call instructs the seven high school students in front of her. It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon in a classroom at CIM. The students, arranged in a semi-circle from bass to soprano, have been working on vocal exercises in their Chamber Choir warm-up, vocalizing an “ooh” sound. “Keep singing your parts,” she adds, “but now, move around the room, stand next to new people, listen to the difference, and then move on again.” The students, continuing to “ooh,” amble around the room, pausing occasionally next to one another to hear how the notes blend differently in their new location. “Pitch is really affected by color, by listening to each other,” says Call, artistic director of CIM’s youth choirs. After a few minutes, she asks the students to line up, the vocal parts jumbled. They harmonize again. This time, the sound is stronger, purer, the pitch more true. The students exchange murmurs of appreciation and surprise.
“Sometimes, when you’re in parts,” Call says, “it doesn’t sound as strong as when you’re in mixed formation. Changing the way you’re used to doing things can make a big difference.” EFFECTING CHANGE She’s certainly right about that. Change at the individual level – exemplified here in the Chamber Choir – echoes the larger changes that CIM has undertaken with its Preparatory programming. Previously, students chose off a menu of private lessons, ensembles and classes. While this approach worked for many parents and students, CIM wondered: Is this the best way to empower the world’s most talented classical music students to reach their potential? This question was part of a larger assessment of CIM’s mission, vision and operations, undertaken ahead of the school’s centennial in 2020. One result was the choice to reduce CIM’s
FA L L 2 0 2 2
11