Positive Notes: The English High School Music Program
“Music Is Life!”
“In all cultures music plays a huge role… Our performances fill us with pride.”
EHS Drumline was invited by the Mayor to perform at the Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony in June, 2021.
At the end of the 2020-21 school year – after having no live performances and only online practices for a full year due to COVID — Boston’s Mayor invited the English High Band to perform for the first-ever Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony at City Hall.
EHS Music Teacher David Carkner was thrilled. His students were excited. He says, “This was a great honor and reignited our passion for performing. We started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The students and everyone at that downtown ceremony could feel the life coming back to Boston! It was an exciting end to the school year and an historic day for both the city and English High.”
The success of the EHS Music Program is due in large part to Carkner and Band Director John Ferraro. Carkner says, “Music has been an integral part of my life and I strive to pass on my knowledge and skills to my students. Every student deserves a chance to study music and to excel in it. I decided a long time ago that I needed to be a music educator. I know it’s what I am meant to do.”
“Music is so important for students of all ages,” he says. “Practicing and performing music ignites all the different parts of our brain and allows us to think more clearly and quickly in other school subjects. There have been countless studies on the effect of music on the brain that illustrate this.”
“Students see the band room as a safe haven from other challenges of their day. A student might struggle in math or history but when they get to band or drumline class, they excel on their instrument. This builds their confidence and gives them a strong reason to get to school every day. Music is also important and essential in so many areas of our lives. Some students might only play an instrument in school and stop once they graduate while others continue on to make a career of music. In all cultures music plays a huge role. Major events, ceremonies, parties, TV, radio, movies, video games, podcasts, etc. All have music. Music is life!”
Reflecting on a favorite success story of the past year, Carkner points to Manius Omnis, freshman saxophone and piano player, who was chosen to attend Berklee’s Five-Week Summer Program, an intensive course that he auditioned for.
While students are attracted to EHS thanks to its strong educational curriculum, long-tenured faculty, and innovative Career Pathways program, many participate in music courses. In 2022-23, incoming 9th graders as well as to 7th and 8th graders – for the first time at EHS – can choose from two levels of each of the following:
- Music Production – Students learn to mix and edit music, learning to be music producers for movies, video games, radio, podcasts, and TV. They also learn how to be DJs, mixing live music. EHS was selected for this by the district.
- Drum Line – Students learn how to play and read music for percussion ensemble and how to march. (See them perform at the Oct. 1 EHSA 200th Anniversary Gala on Oct. 1 in Boston!)
- Band – Students learn how to play and read music for a variety of ensembles: Pep Band performs at football games. Marching Band performs in parades. Wind ensemble performs for Winter and Spring Showcases. We invite alumni, teachers, parents, and families to the showcases to enjoy students’ music and art.
In the past decade, EHS music students have been involved in many great performances including at Symphony Hall for the Mayor’s State of the City Address, a Boston University hockey game, various BPS school events, Boston Juneteenth ceremonies, and at the Berklee Performance Center.
Carkner says, “There are usually 7-10 members in the drumline. The joy mainly comes from working together in rehearsals week to week, to put on great performances wherever we go. There’s a feeling after a good performance that is unlike any other. It resonates through the whole drumline and fills us with pride.”
