NV singers growing through a variety of experiences

Editor’s Note: This is a second story in a series highlighting March as Music in our Schools Month.

As a freshman at Luther College in Decorah, Nicole Miller was undecided on what her major was going to be. While she didn’t step on campus knowing she would graduate as a music teacher four years later, she’s grateful for the foundation she received there and how things have ended up.

“I made my way around as a freshman and got some [general education classes] out of the way. I knew I didn’t want to do something where I couldn’t do music everyday,” Miller said. “I knew that I didn’t want to be a performer because I didn’t want to have to go where the work was; I wanted to be able to able to be somewhere, have a family and I like interacting with people. Both of my parents were CPAs and I can’t see myself doing something where I’m sitting looking at a computer screen. I love working with my students and co-workers.”

Miller makes no bones about the fact that she enjoys singing. Her first job was teaching high school choir at St. Edmond Catholic High School in Fort Dodge. Now in her 17th year of teaching, and her fifth at Nodaway Valley, she has enjoyed every chance she has to give her Nodaway Valley middle and high school students ways to grow as singers.

Miller and her husband, Gerry, the high school principal at NV, have four children: Luke, Lucy, Leah and Leo. While she says she didn’t have as many opportunities outside of school to sing growing up, she is grateful that her kids do in Greenfield.

“I like being at smaller schools and having kids who can be involved in more than one thing,” Miller said.

Miller’s own kids are athletes and musicians. Her students are similar, gaining valuable experiences during their school experience through the fine arts, athletics, FFA and more.

“I just like having kids who are well-rounded. That goes back to my experience at Luther, getting the liberal arts degree, where you get exposed to a lot of different things,” Miller said. “We try and have that for our own kids too. Our kids are in the community choir, the community theater, sports through the fitness center, Mat Pak wrestling.”

Choir becomes an elective at the middle school age, whereas every elementary student takes music. It is in middle school where Miller can start working on skills that are specific to helping students form singing habits that are even more specific from those that are introduced to them when they’re younger. Miller works with them on healthy singing, reading rhythm and pitches, clapping out rhythms and learning simple music terminology. Miller collaborates with instrumental music instructor Abbey Lochmoeller to make sure they use the same vocabulary in class so it sticks with the students more effectively.

In high school, students often find their niche even more, while still continuing to be well-rounded, many times blending experiences in academics, fine arts, athletics and a long list of other activities.

Two vocal music-specific activities that Miller likes the most are the fall musicals and the spring solo/ensemble contest. The musicals allow her to be a part of musical theater, which is a passion of hers. The latter helps her work even more closely with students through small group and individual experiences. This also helps the students gain exposure to music they may not see through being in the larger choir.

Students are preparing for solo and ensemble contest now. They performed the musical “Seussical Jr.” last fall. For a handful of years now, Nodaway Valley has moved to staging a musical each fall and a play each spring, instead of alternating them from year to year.

The students are also able to take part in honor choirs. Gracelyn Lewis, Josh Cronk, Melanie Kilborn and Kaylee Van Horn represented Nodaway Valley at the Central College Singfest Honor Choir Feb. 25. Ten students represented Nodaway Valley in the Pride of Iowa Honor Choir held at Graceland University last November. These students included Gracey Deemer, Brianna Gonzalez, Lewis, Micah Cronk, Van Horn, Kilborn, Haisley Zoubek, Josh Cronk, Shannon Newbury and Angel Frazier.

An eight-member ensemble known as Advanced Music Studies is open to high school students at Miller’s discretion. This group studies and performs pieces separately from the rest of the choir that are more complex than what the entire group would typically perform.

Many students in the music department also get the chance to be a part of groups who sing the national anthem at athletic events during the school year.

Another thing Miller likes to include is bringing in clinicians who can give students feedback on their singing techniques. Most recently, she has brought one in from Iowa Western Community College who the students benefit from.

The vocal students, with family and consumer sciences, speech, visual arts and band, will be part of a Fine Arts Night that is open to the public Friday, March 28 at the Warren Cultural Center. Visual arts projects are already on display in the venue’s main floor gallery.

Another concert will be held later this spring but the date has not been finalized.

After graduating a large senior class of singers last year, Miller said she’s excited for these upcoming opportunities for the public to see the fruit of the hard work these singers have put in.

“These kids have come a long way and we’ve done a lot of good work,” Miller said. “We have a majority of freshmen and sophomores in the choir this year. They’ve done a lot of growing this year.”