Saline Schools Music Department Music Video Adds Cheer to Holiday Season

Saline Area Schools are typically abuzz with holiday excitement this time of year, in no small part due to concerts by orchestras and choirs.

In 2020, Saline schools are almost empty, the stages are dark and the auditoriums are silent. 

As they have throughout the pandemic, members of the schools' music faculty are doing their part to create positive energy in the community. Staff teamed up to participate in a music video organized and produced by Ben Culver, who teaches orchestra at the middle school.

Culver said the idea for the video was inspired by a request from the Saline Music Boosters, who asked the staff about the possibility of a virtual variety show. The Zoom platform, however, is not capable of sustaining live, collaborative performance. Instead, Culver suggested a collaboration on a fun piece like Sleigh Ride.

Becky Allmand, middle school band teacher, found an arrangement and sent the music to everyone. Vocal music teachers Sarah Price and Eric Floetke came up with words and a vocal arrangement.

They all agreed on things like tempo, a timeline, wardrobe and video format.

Allmand (flute, clarinet, tenor sax, bells), Matthew Briere (violin, viola), Scott Cannell (trumpet), Culver (violin, cello, bass), Floetke, Price, Judy Hayes (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax), Nate Lampman (trombone, baritone, tuba, drum set) and Ben Reed (trumpet, French horn) all recorded their parts on their phone while keeping tempo with using a metronome playing through headphones.

Culver said school administrators appeared as special guests. Kirk Evenson (sleigh bells), David Raft (slapstick), Ryan Rowe (guiro), Alex Schukow (bass drum), Theresa Stager (snare drum) and Laura Washington (temple blocks) participated, recording short clips.

"They were great sports," Culver said.

Culver gathered the music clips and put them together using Final Cut Pro. Then he sent the music to Floetke and Price for them to sing over. Once he got their videos back, he composted the video in Final Cut and exported all the individual audio tracks for mixing and mastering. He still wasn't done. When the audio was finished, he reassembled everything in Final Cut.

Culver said Saline's talented music staff made the project possible.

"Our music staff is incredibly talented - each person has dedicated years studying and practicing at least one major instrument and many are highly capable with several. With that kind of background, putting together the music was easy and performing was fun," Culver said. "We’re all good friends who dearly miss live music performance. We were happy to help spread some cheer to the community!"

There were several moments that stood out to Culver.

Rowe, the administrator of the South and West Washtenaw Consortium and an alumnus of the Saline High School Orchestra, heard about the project and wanted to participate.

"Nate gave him a guiro and recorded a quick 10-second shot walking and scraping. This made for a great transition into the vocal," Culver said.

Raft's slapstick antics drew laughs.

"His double slap at the camera wasn’t planned but made for a great ending," Culver said.

Other moments that were left on the cutting room floor (and viewable at the end of the video) reflected what students, staff and adminisrators have experienced in virtual education.

"I love Laura’s (Washington) laugh in an outtake at the end when Alex (Schukow) is recording the bass drum part. Alex is obviously enjoying it but playing too fast when Becky says, 'Now wait, were you looking at the metronome?'” Cue Laura’s understanding laugh and Alex’s reflection and re-energized focus - all feelings we and our students have experienced over and over through virtual education. Makes me smile every time I see it."

After the song, high school orchestra teacher Matthew Briere has a message to students and the community.

"We wish we were on stage with the awesome musicians we work for, but we want to thank the musicians and their families for inviting us into their homes and trusting us to find new ways to connect with music," Briere said, thanking students, staff and music boosters. "On behalf of the Saline Area Schools bands, choirs and orchestras, I would like to wish everyone happy holidays and hope you celebrate this season and the arrival of the new year with some musical joy."

Superintendent Scot Graden referenced the video at Tuesday's Board of Education when highlighting the various success he's seen in the virtual learning environment.

"This time of year is typically filled with exhibitions and student performances - it's an exciting time and there's energy in the building that's not happening right now. So I thank the staff who came together and took the time to put this together and really celebrate in a new way," Graden said. "It really points to this concept that just because we're remote does not mean we're not working hard to maximize opportunities."

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