by thrill of performance
By jeanette M. eng
Staff Writer
Scott Joshua Schafler Gleich
MARLBORO — Joshua Gleich and Scott Schafler did not score the winning touchdown. They did not make the picture-perfect slam dunk. They did not pin an opponent to win a state title.
These two seniors at Marlboro High School breathe a whole different meaning into the titles of All-State, All-Shore and All-Eastern. Gleich and Schafler have been involved with music throughout their lives and have deepened their love and appreciation for this art during the past four years at Marlboro High School.
The culmination of their high school music careers was realized when they raised their Bass I and Tenor II voices in unison with 322 others in a showcase of some of the best young musicians from Maine to Maryland.
The annual performance by the All-Eastern Honors Ensemble is sponsored by the National Association for Music Education and this year it was held at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, R.I.
According to Gleich and Schafler, they are the first students in Marlboro High School’s 30-year history to have been chosen to participate in this event.
On March 6, Gleich and Schafler, along with their families, took the trip through ice storms determined to make it for the 6 p.m. rehearsal that evening.
For the next three days, rehearsal was the only item on the agenda as these high school students were schooled under the wand of Simon Carrington, a Yale University music professor.
"He is the most incredible conductor ever," Schafler said. "He teaches phrasing and feeling and how to sing from our hearts instead of just singing what’s written."
By March 9, the All-Eastern Honors Ensemble was ready to perform for an audience of 3,000.
"All of these people came together, people I’ve never met before, all just singing one thing. It sounded incredible," Gleich said.
Gleich and Schafler, despite their constant exposure to music, left the conference with even more of an appreciation for their passion.
"I didn’t know that music could have that many levels of emotion," Schafler said. "I didn’t know it could have so much depth."
This "incredible" opportunity, however, only came by way of much dedication and hard work.
First, Gleich and Schafler had to place among the top 15 percent of the auditioners for the All-State Choir in order to even receive an application for the All-Eastern Honors Ensemble.
The audition process required the boys to sing a series of scales a capella, sing the harmony part with four other voices on a CD and sing a line from memory after the notes had been played on a piano.
Gleich and Schafler both scored high enough during their All-State audition to be exempt from an audition for placement in the All-East-ern Honors Ensemble.
Singing, however, is not considered work for these teens, no matter how grueling the auditions or rehearsals become. They do it for the love of the song and have enjoyed every note of their past endeavors.
During rehearsals for the All-Eastern Honors Ensemble "we would have eight hours of rehearsal, but I would go to bed wanting more because the sound that those 324 people produced was awe-inspiring," Shafler explained.
Gleich and Shafler have participated in the school chorus, the All-State Choir, the All-Shore Choir and the All-Eastern Honors Ensemble. They also regularly participate in community theater and were both involved in the school’s spring musical Carnivale.
For Schafler, who "fell in love" with music at the age of 8 when he played Michael in a production of Peter Pan, music affords him an outlet of expression.
"To be able to sing and express yourself is a feeling like no other in this life," he said. "You open yourself up to the audience in a way unlike anything else."
Although the two seniors are pursuing separate paths, their love for singing and their goals remain the same and shared.
Gleich’s experiences have inspired him to pursue a musical career and he is currently auditioning for various music schools at colleges and universities in New York, Connecticut New Jersey and Pennsylvania. His goals are to pursue a degree in musical training and education.
Schafler is currently applying to various colleges and universities with a goal of pursuing a degree in biology.
There is no contest, however, as to what will be priority in their lives.
"I would love to make it as a singer," Gleich said.
"My dream is to be a performer and I will always strive toward this," Schafler said. "Music is a part of my life and if there was one word to describe me, it would be ‘music.’ "
Schafler and Gleich agreed that music has always been incorporated in their lives and probably always will be.