Birdland

Rob Hayes conducted his last concert at Poly last Wednesday evening. As the final notes of "Birdland" echoed through Garland Theater and the applause died down, our gifted conductor wrapped up a career at Poly that spanned more than a decade. If you have ever watched Mr. Hayes, you know he loves what he does. He directs with enthusiasm and joy, feeding off his students’ energy. He shimmies and his head bobs with the syncopated beats of the masters he holds so dear. If he is on bass in the back of the ensemble, Mr. Hayes grooves with the best of them — eyes often closed, deep in thought, as if he is willing the notes from his soul.

The arc of the entire evening was particularly compelling. From the carefully choreographed fourth-grade strings under the direction of Ms. Scheidemantle (who, by the way, also revels in conducting!) to the smooth and elegant sounds of our Middle School musicians guided by Ms. Foley, the audience witnessed the building blocks of future generations of performers. What they also saw was what excellence looks like when both process and product are valued.

While the evening was long for some of our younger performers, hearing from the interdivisional groups captured the breadth and depth of our program. The contrast between this spring’s concert and those that took place earlier in the year was evident. Over the course of the year, our students have worked hard to hone their skills as individual musicians and improve as ensembles. Our directors have nudged and cajoled their charges to help them understand the value and the beauty of working together, even when it wasn’t easy.

When one squirmy Lower School lad was told to sit next to Ms. Martin and me, he was reminded that he did not need to stay for the entire concert. “But I want to stay because that's where I'm going!" he responded. I could not have put it any better myself!

JWB
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