Chatham Student Wants Community To Engage With The Arts

CHATHAM, NJ - Chatham High School junior Emily Lamb has taken much from the arts programs offered through her school and wants the community to know that they can gain benefit from them as well, simply be engaging.

"I’ve noticed that the school and town community do not engage with the music program as much as athletics," Lamb said. "Beyond the widely publicized fall play and spring musical that CHS puts on each year, CHS music students also participate in amazing performances and concerts throughout the year. For example, the chorus, orchestra and band programs participate in Winter and Spring concerts that exemplify the greatness of the music program. Additionally, students participate in several performances throughout the year, including a recital for Honors Music students, and Chatham Performing Arts Club showcases among many others."

For her part, Lamb says she has seen that the athletics program gets the attention from local media.

"While every single sports game is covered in the news, music events are hardly ever covered. I don't know for sure why this is, but I believe that it is reflective of a broader focus on sports rather than music/arts," she said. "Arts budgets and programs around the country are always at risk of being cut, while school districts continue to inflate athletic budgets."

Lamb acknowledges that Chatham athletics are amazingly successful, and takes nothing away from them. She just wants similar attention paid to the equally talented and successful arts programs.

"If the music programs aren't promoted, we risk allowing the program to become vulnerable to cuts. Other programs, like the Robotics program or the Academic Team, are also hugely successful and do not get as much press as athletics," she said.

Lamb said that the Chatham music program has always been a constant in her life, since she started chorus in third grade her connection to the program has grown over the years.

"In Chatham Voices, where there are only sixteen of us, it becomes very important to have each voice part blend. This requires us to have an acute understanding of each others voices, as well as how to balance the complexities of the music. In a large ensemble, it's very easy to blend into the crowd, but being in a chamber ensemble means that every voice is completely exposed. It also means that you develop close relationships with everyone in your group, as opposed to just those in your voice part," she said. "The people in Voices come from all different friend groups, so it is a really cool group of people, many of which I probably never would have been close to otherwise. The most important friendships for me have been relationships I have made with upper and lower classmen."

Lamb said that those connections helped her navigate a stressful junior year.

"It was really nice to have friends who had been through it before and were always willing to let me vent and support me through the most difficult parts of the year," she said. "On the same level, it has been really nice to help my sophomore friends through some of the difficult times in their year, including their first AP tests."

Lamb said the general community doesn't need to do much to support the arts programs in Chatham, they just need to show up and attend performances. But as for the school community, there are more ways to get involved.

"I also encourage younger students to become involved in music classes. Both for academic and social reasons, participating in musical instruction is beneficial. It has been proven scientifically that playing an instrument has the ability to increase cognitive skills across the board. According to an article in the Telegraph, learning an instrument allows students of whatever age to activate the portions of their brains that control hearing, memory, and motor skills," Lamb said. "Additionally, studying music make students more attentive and focused which increases their academic potential. Beyond the academic benefits of participating in music programs, the social benefits are also a very important reason for students to participate. In my own experiences, not only has being in Chorus has allowed me to learn an unique new skill, it has also allowed me to interact with a diverse and interesting group of students. Several of the girls in my chorus are some of my best friends."

For those interested, Lamb said there are many options available to get involved.

"There are an incredible amount of opportunities within Chatham High School which allows music students to specialize in a certain type of music or performance beyond what is available within the middle school. Some of the select or specialized groups include Jazz Band, Marching Band, Percussion Ensemble, Select Choir, a mixed choir, Chatham Voices, a treble choir, No Strings Attached, an all female a capella group, Pit Band, the Spring Musical, All State, Region or Area band, chorus, and orchestra and the Tri-M Music Honor Society," she said. "Additionally, there are several other performance opportunities provided to music students, such as Broadway Under the Stars, CPAC and Breakfast with the Musicians, among others."

Those interested can find more information on the Chatham Performing Arts Boosters website.

Lamb said there are an incredible amount of additional opportunities provided to students, like the opportunity to work with Adam Pascal, who played Roger in the original cast of RENT. But she noted it is the interaction amongst her peers she cherishes most and hopes to share with the community.

"My peers at Chatham High School continue to amaze me everyday, and I hope that more members of the community begin the understand the raw potential of the Chatham music program," she said.

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