Bill Wightman (next to the door)with his Recording class.-
Sing Along With Me -Nhung Nguyen
A beautiful piano sound echoes from the music studio. A rich melody comes from the trumpet. A musician’s soul connects to a deep place. That’s music at Proctor, which has long been celebrated as a creative element on campus. Proctor has been trying to foster the artist in every student for a long time. Karl Methven, the Dean of Faculty, who likes folk and bluegrass music, told me the history of the Meeting House. About fifteen years ago, Proctor’s faculty felt the need to “elevate the art at Proctor.” As a result, the Meeting House was built and art and music evolved. Proctor hired more art teachers and improved the facilities. Today, students get more and more opportunities to access and enjoy music. Along with Karl, Bill Wightman, the Art Department Head thinks that “Music at Proctor, similar to the other arts at Proctor, provides an avenue of expression for students who can participate.” Bill is a man who always tries to help his students find enough time to play music. Last year, there was F Block Band, which included
students who played music with F Block free. There was also E Block Band which practiced in the afternoon during winter and spring terms. Some nights these bands played from six to ten in the evening. Even though Proctor has provided a lot of opportunities for students to play and enjoy music, students have too many academic requirements and can’t find time to fit music in to their day. Joan Saunders, who designs costumes for actors in the plays and enjoys alternative music, blues, and jazz, acknowledges that the school provides an ensemble band in the afternoon and private lessons and students can practice in the studio basement with their own band. However, Joan wished, “there would be more rooms for music such as classes to learn about music appreciation, and classical music.”
Karl Metheven
Joan Saunders