The following article was originally published in the Hawley Herald. It has been shared with permission.
By Jen Miller, Staff Writer
You may want to put some background music on or find a beat to tap to while you read this because Mr. Van Den Eykel and the Hawley Youth Choir will have you singing by the end of it. When I asked Mia Halden what she enjoyed about the choir, she simply pointed to her shirt, “Life is better when you’re singing.”
The Hawley Youth Choir is in the midst of their fourth year at Hawley Elementary School under Brandon Van Den Eykel's direction. “It brings me tremendous joy to teach music to the younger generation. Music plays a huge role in our lives, even if we don’t always realize it. Take a moment to imagine if there was no music. If movies were silent, the radios only played the news, no one hummed, or danced, or tapped to the music in their heads. It would be a strange world indeed. For me, even if I try to be totally silent, eventually a song or musical idea drifts into my head,” Mr. Van Den Eykel shared.
The Hawley Youth Choir has grown over the last couple years and ranges between 60 and 75 students in grades fourth, fifth, and sixth.
“This is my second year in the choir,” Katie Kruger stated and went on to say, “I like everything about it; the experience, the trips.”
The Hawley Youth Choir meets every Monday afternoon from 3 to 4, and Dezi Aldinger looks forward to it every week. “My favorite songs are the songs with funny actions.”
“The funny songs are the best,” Marley Knutson chimed in.
In previous years, choir students met for 10 or 20 minutes, twice a week, before school, but now the Hawley, Youth Choir is an official school organization. Monday afternoons are reserved for singing. “While I loved seeing my choir students more often, having a consistent rehearsal length and time every week has been wonderful. We have been able to spend more time bonding as a group and we'll be able to perform more challenging and interesting music,” Mr. Van Den Eykel commented.
Throughout the year, the Hawley Youth Choir performs around the Hawley community. They first took the stage at the Veteran’s Day Program in November. “We sang the National Anthem for the Veterans,” Madelyn Aakre explained.
“The National Anthem was one of my favorites,” Gave Vareberg added.
In December, the choir brought a little holiday cheer to the seniors at Hawley Senior Living. They also performed at school, Valley Premier Bank, Tony’s, Dairy Queen, and area daycare facilities. “Our most exciting event happens in May, our Spring Choir Tour,” Mr. Van Den Eykel stated and went on to say, “During the day, we perform at Hawley Senior Living as well as in nearby communities. This special day culminates with the evening concert where we perform for their family, friends, and the community of Hawley. This year our concert will be Thursday, May 16 at 6 p.m. at Hawley Lutheran Church.”
One highlight of the Spring Choir Tour is the “choir exchange.” The Hawley Youth Choir will travel to a different area school and perform for their choir, and in return, that choir will perform for them. In the past, the choir has traveled to Discovery Middle School and Bennet Elementary School in Fargo, and this year, the choir will exchange performances at Rossman Elementary School in Detroit Lakes and perform at Ecumen Senior Living. “This is such a great opportunity for the students as it helps to build a sense of community among the different schools and allows them to see and hear other students who love to sing and perform just like they do. It also teaches them about volunteering and giving back to the community when we perform at various senior living centers and other locations,” Mr. Van Den Eykel explained.
So what do the choir students like to sing? Just about every one of the students I talked to mentioned “The Crawdad Song.” I had never heard the song, but the students sparked my curiosity, so I went searching for the song on YouTube, and I can see why they like it. I would encourage you to YouTube it, but the Hawley Youth Choir will be performing “The Crawdad Song” live this spring, and since nothing can beat a live performance, you’re better off going to their spring concert. However, if you’re curious, here’s a sneak peek. “The Crawdad Song is a folk song arranged by Cristi Cary Miller,” Mr. Van Den Eykel commented and went on to say, “This is such a fun piece! It’s upbeat and even has a middle section where the students split into four groups and imitate some animal sounds.”
The Hawley Youth Choir is also working on a piece called “There is Peace” composed by Jim Papoulis with the help of his children’s choir. In his introduction he writes, “There was an overwhelming consensus to write about peace – what it means to the individual, and what it means in the world. The song is focused on the notion that peace begins within each of us.”
The students are also working on a song called “Proud Corazon,” which is the finale from the movie Coco. The version that the choir will entertain their audience with is arranged by Mac Huff. “I love that this song has both English and Spanish lyrics, which poses a fun challenge for many of my students. As for the rest of the music we are performing, you’ll just have to come out and see the show,” Mr. Van Den Eykel commented.
I can’t think of a better way to end this story than with the poem posted outside of Mr. Van Den Eykel’s music room. When I asked him what inspired his career in music, he mentioned the poem. “This is why I teach music... not because I expect you to major in music, not because I expect you to play or sing all of your life, not so you can relax, not so you can have fun, but so that you will be human, so that you will recognize beauty, so you will be closer to an infinite beyond this world, so you will have something to cling to, so you will have more love, more compassion, more gentleness, more good. In short, more life” (author unknown)
“That’s not to say music isn’t fun or can’t be a great way to relax, because it certainly can be! However music can also be very challenging and require a great deal of teamwork/ collaboration, individual practice, and strong work ethic to be successful. I hope that through music I can teach my students to not only be better musicians but to be better people in general. I truly believe that music is for everyone, that every person can learn how to sing and every person can learn to play an instrument, and it is an honor to be able to teach this wonderful subject to my students nearly every single day,” Mr. Van Den Eykel concluded.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars, folks. The Hawley Elementary Choir Spring Concert Thursday, May 16 at the Hawley Lutheran Church. Curtains open at 6 p.m.
By Jen Miller, Staff Writer
You may want to put some background music on or find a beat to tap to while you read this because Mr. Van Den Eykel and the Hawley Youth Choir will have you singing by the end of it. When I asked Mia Halden what she enjoyed about the choir, she simply pointed to her shirt, “Life is better when you’re singing.”
The Hawley Youth Choir is in the midst of their fourth year at Hawley Elementary School under Brandon Van Den Eykel's direction. “It brings me tremendous joy to teach music to the younger generation. Music plays a huge role in our lives, even if we don’t always realize it. Take a moment to imagine if there was no music. If movies were silent, the radios only played the news, no one hummed, or danced, or tapped to the music in their heads. It would be a strange world indeed. For me, even if I try to be totally silent, eventually a song or musical idea drifts into my head,” Mr. Van Den Eykel shared.
The Hawley Youth Choir has grown over the last couple years and ranges between 60 and 75 students in grades fourth, fifth, and sixth.
“This is my second year in the choir,” Katie Kruger stated and went on to say, “I like everything about it; the experience, the trips.”
The Hawley Youth Choir meets every Monday afternoon from 3 to 4, and Dezi Aldinger looks forward to it every week. “My favorite songs are the songs with funny actions.”
“The funny songs are the best,” Marley Knutson chimed in.
In previous years, choir students met for 10 or 20 minutes, twice a week, before school, but now the Hawley, Youth Choir is an official school organization. Monday afternoons are reserved for singing. “While I loved seeing my choir students more often, having a consistent rehearsal length and time every week has been wonderful. We have been able to spend more time bonding as a group and we'll be able to perform more challenging and interesting music,” Mr. Van Den Eykel commented.
Throughout the year, the Hawley Youth Choir performs around the Hawley community. They first took the stage at the Veteran’s Day Program in November. “We sang the National Anthem for the Veterans,” Madelyn Aakre explained.
“The National Anthem was one of my favorites,” Gave Vareberg added.
In December, the choir brought a little holiday cheer to the seniors at Hawley Senior Living. They also performed at school, Valley Premier Bank, Tony’s, Dairy Queen, and area daycare facilities. “Our most exciting event happens in May, our Spring Choir Tour,” Mr. Van Den Eykel stated and went on to say, “During the day, we perform at Hawley Senior Living as well as in nearby communities. This special day culminates with the evening concert where we perform for their family, friends, and the community of Hawley. This year our concert will be Thursday, May 16 at 6 p.m. at Hawley Lutheran Church.”
One highlight of the Spring Choir Tour is the “choir exchange.” The Hawley Youth Choir will travel to a different area school and perform for their choir, and in return, that choir will perform for them. In the past, the choir has traveled to Discovery Middle School and Bennet Elementary School in Fargo, and this year, the choir will exchange performances at Rossman Elementary School in Detroit Lakes and perform at Ecumen Senior Living. “This is such a great opportunity for the students as it helps to build a sense of community among the different schools and allows them to see and hear other students who love to sing and perform just like they do. It also teaches them about volunteering and giving back to the community when we perform at various senior living centers and other locations,” Mr. Van Den Eykel explained.
So what do the choir students like to sing? Just about every one of the students I talked to mentioned “The Crawdad Song.” I had never heard the song, but the students sparked my curiosity, so I went searching for the song on YouTube, and I can see why they like it. I would encourage you to YouTube it, but the Hawley Youth Choir will be performing “The Crawdad Song” live this spring, and since nothing can beat a live performance, you’re better off going to their spring concert. However, if you’re curious, here’s a sneak peek. “The Crawdad Song is a folk song arranged by Cristi Cary Miller,” Mr. Van Den Eykel commented and went on to say, “This is such a fun piece! It’s upbeat and even has a middle section where the students split into four groups and imitate some animal sounds.”
The Hawley Youth Choir is also working on a piece called “There is Peace” composed by Jim Papoulis with the help of his children’s choir. In his introduction he writes, “There was an overwhelming consensus to write about peace – what it means to the individual, and what it means in the world. The song is focused on the notion that peace begins within each of us.”
The students are also working on a song called “Proud Corazon,” which is the finale from the movie Coco. The version that the choir will entertain their audience with is arranged by Mac Huff. “I love that this song has both English and Spanish lyrics, which poses a fun challenge for many of my students. As for the rest of the music we are performing, you’ll just have to come out and see the show,” Mr. Van Den Eykel commented.
I can’t think of a better way to end this story than with the poem posted outside of Mr. Van Den Eykel’s music room. When I asked him what inspired his career in music, he mentioned the poem. “This is why I teach music... not because I expect you to major in music, not because I expect you to play or sing all of your life, not so you can relax, not so you can have fun, but so that you will be human, so that you will recognize beauty, so you will be closer to an infinite beyond this world, so you will have something to cling to, so you will have more love, more compassion, more gentleness, more good. In short, more life” (author unknown)
“That’s not to say music isn’t fun or can’t be a great way to relax, because it certainly can be! However music can also be very challenging and require a great deal of teamwork/ collaboration, individual practice, and strong work ethic to be successful. I hope that through music I can teach my students to not only be better musicians but to be better people in general. I truly believe that music is for everyone, that every person can learn how to sing and every person can learn to play an instrument, and it is an honor to be able to teach this wonderful subject to my students nearly every single day,” Mr. Van Den Eykel concluded.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars, folks. The Hawley Elementary Choir Spring Concert Thursday, May 16 at the Hawley Lutheran Church. Curtains open at 6 p.m.