This year, only 15 of 866 Benilde St. Margaret’s senior high students are enrolled in a curricular choir class, leaving numbers in music electives dangerously low. This substantial decline in music participation is threatening the future of the music department and raises the question, Why is music disappearing at BSM and what is the music department doing to facilitate more participation?
There are a variety of reasons for students’ hesitation to sign up for music, one of which being students’ impression that BSM choir is limited only to student’s with natural music inclination. Many students’ lack of confidence in their own musical ability holds them back from pursuing music. “[I’m not in choir] because I’m not a good singer, and also, I’m not good with performing,” sophomore Maddie Peterson said.
Other students tend to stray away from music as an elective because they view other electives or classes as more sustainable or important. Additionally, with the amount of class requirements, many students favor a free hour to stay on top of schoolwork. “A lot of people tend to gravitate towards free periods or engineering classes that they could go into a field of which. People can still do music as a profession, but it’s not really seen, at least in the environment of BSM, it’s not quite considered as much of a profession as it would be in another school,” Red Knotes member Nico Peterson said.
Another significant factor that encouraged students’ hesitation to take music classes in previous years was the requirement to sing at Mass. Although this is no longer a requirement, students are still not joining music due to the perception that choir only places emphasis on “Church” music. Many students express more interest in a choir that focuses on contemporary and pop music. Because a lot of students attend pop concerts and listen to pop music on a daily basis, many believe a pop and contemporary-based choir may resonate more with their personal interests. “I think a big part of [students not taking choir] is because of Mass and having to sing in front of the entire school. And, other schools do a good job at making choir an upbeat, fun thing, rather than a Church concert type of thing, using more popular songs,” senior Midge Sanderson said.
Although the low participation rate presents a threat to the future of music at BSM, current music students, passionate staff, and faculty advocates are working to save the music department. In an attempt to facilitate more participation in music, this year, the choir program cut the requirement to sing at Mass in the curriculum. Instead, students and faculty members who wish to perform at Mass can join Voice of Worship, a new extra-curricular that practices and leads music at Mass. Additionally, much of the current choir curriculums are steering more towards contemporary music in hopes that music will pique the interest of more students. The BSM A capella group, Red Knotes, practice and perform almost solely contemporary and pop music of their choosing. “[The Red Knotes] usually perform pop songs…I really enjoyed singing “Red Desert” and “Wildest Dreams” last year,” Nico Peterson said.
Additionally, leaders in the music department hope to emphasize that all are welcome in choir and other parts of the music department despite musical ability. The choir is not an environment of mastery, but instead, a place to grow as a singer and musician no matter where a student’s baseline is. “My job is to take anybody, no matter what you think your voice is like, and to help it get better from where you are. And, if you think you don’t have a very good voice, then you should definitely be in choir,” Augsburger said.
Overall, the music department hopes to positively change students’ perspectives of music at BSM. Music participants and teachers hope that these changes promote music as a powerful and vital art that can be influential in the rest of students’ lives and that it is no less important for all those involved than any other activity or elective at BSM. “Music is absolutely something that can make your life better, as well as have fun. And, we take trips, and you get to hang out with your friends, and I think it’s all positive,” Augsburger said.