Alice Lipson Looks Back

The June 6 Staples Orphenians concert will mark two distinct occasions.

In addition to celebrating the high school a cappella group's 50th anniversary, the event will be a grand finale for Staples' choral director Alice Lipson. At the end of this school year, Lipson will retire from a 35-year teaching career in the Westport school system.

She came to Staples in 1988, succeeding Orphenians founder Dr. George Weigle.

"This will be my last concert," concedes Lipson. "But, I am very excited. To think that the Orphenians have been around for 50 years and during that time they have only had two directors. I have beautiful memories of my time at Staples and, I keep telling the kids, I'm not going anywhere. I live in Norwalk and I will attend future concerts. I really do care about this program."

Lipson is determined to make the June 6 occasion a special event. Highlights of the concert will include an appearance by Weigle, who will guest conduct the penultimate "The Lord Bless You and Keep You." There also will be appearances by guest alumni. "Emily Hall and the Peterson family are among those who will be with us on-stage," Lipson said.  The concert will include the the traditional invitation to all alumni to sing "Ride the Chariot."

 A reception in the Staples auditorium lobby, 70 North Ave., at 6 p.m. will precede the 7:30 concert.

Lipson, who has been known to speak against budget and staff cuts in the music department, is emphatic that the current economy is not a factor in her decision leave the school system.

 "I decided that now is the time to juggle the 'grandma' schedule," she said. "My daughter, Shirah, and her husband, Dan, are in the clergy and they are very busy. I wanted to step in and help with my grandson, Avi. He is 13 months old and he is wonderful."

She adds, "I have had wonderful experiences in the Westport school system. I work with kids who are interested in music they have a passion for it. They share what they love with what I love. It's all been very rewarding."

Lipson began teaching in Westport in 1975, right out of college. "I first came to the junior high and middle schools, and every day that I have come to work here has been like going to Disneyland," she said.

 She acknowledges that although technology has had an impact on the way kids learn, the music programs have remained consistent throughout the years. "I have always introduced students to great pieces of classic literature, focusing on periods that range from baroque, renaissance, romantic and popular," she said. "The goal has always been that the students should understand and learn music theory. These kids soak it up. The harder the music, the better they perform."

However, she notes, time has had an impact on the number of students who take advantage of school's musical opportunities.

The more students obsess about their pending college applications, the less time they have to embrace the study of music. "As kids focus on their college careers, they find that music studies interfere with their Advanced Placement (AP) classes," said Lipson. "Some of the students are  packing their schedules with AP courses. Because of this, there are fewer students who enroll in music or orchestra." 

Music plays a vital part in the college admission process, she stresses. "Statistically, Ivy League colleges pick kids who can be creative and think outside of the box and who are problem-solvers, which is what musicians have to be," she says. "If two kids have the exact same academic scores, a musical background will tip the scale in the college admission process."

When her retirement gets under way, Lipson said that her first goal is start her own musical studies."My goal is to get my voice back," she reports. "Teaching has taken a toll on my vocal chords. I hope to study under Maggie Heilweil, who is an excellent teacher."

She also intends to audit classes at Norwalk Community College.

Her husband, Rabbi Mark Lipson, is not retiring from his position at Temple Shalom in Norwalk. "He's been there for 35 years and he will continue there for now," said Lipson.

However, Rabbi Lipson currently is writing a musical based on the Brill Building in Manhattan. "I may work with him on that," says Alice. "He has already written 14 songs."

In looking back on her career, Lipson credits the town of Westport with hiring good administrators who share sage advice and created an exceptional working environment. "I am very grateful for the guidance I received from Joe Koller and Dan Sullivan when I first got out of college," she said. "They created a nurturing administration."

Koller, who recently died at the age of 88, had been principal at Long Lots Junior High School. Sullivan held the positions of assistant principal at Long Lots Junior High School as well as principal of Coleytown Elementary School. In 2008 he retired as principal of Greens Farms Elementary School.

"If you  like kids, working with them at any level is rewarding" Lipson concludes. "The success of  a teacher is based on the connections they create with their students. I accept my students for who they are, and the relationships that I have established here have made it a joy to come to school every day."

 In the fall Justin Miller, who hales from Westport, will pick up the baton and step in as director of Staples' choruses, choirs and Orphenians.