Collaboration is a key component of Evan Aguilar’s music program at Cibola High School in New Mexico. As the Director of Choral and Piano Activities at Cibola as well as at Albuquerque Public Schools, Aguilar has worked with people at the school and in the community to provide more opportunities for his students.
Last year, the drama and choir departments worked together on “Mamma Mia,” and the production was awarded Best Production at New Mexico’s Enchantment Awards. “This process involved hours of rehearsals, auditions, training students in their stagecraft and giving kids the tools to unleash their artistry on stage,” he proudly says.
This year, Quintessence, a group Aguilar sings with, brought their composer-in-residence to talk with his students about composing. Aguilar also invited the University of New Mexico Concert Choir, which gave him his wings to sing when he was in college, to perform with his students.
Another collaboration was with Dr. Jisook Park, a visiting professor at Eastern New Mexico University. Together Park and Aguilar performed a four-hands music recital of Brahms, Mozart and Pizaolla, after which Park presented a masterclass to the students at Cibola and another district high school. “We wanted to show how fun piano literature can be and how much fun performers can have collaborating,” Aguilar explains.
Creativity is another key element in Aguilar’s program. He spearheaded a piano orchestra where students were assigned parts and played on different voice settings on keyboards to create an ensemble. “Kids were overjoyed to play synth strings, woodwinds and world instruments. We performed arrangements I made of Taylor Swift songs, Disney tunes and pieces written by my former piano teacher, Dennis Alexander, for piano ensemble,” Aguilar explains. “We performed our works, and students were engaged with one another, accountable to the ensemble, and they had a group effort that was unique — especially for a pianist. I am doing my best to develop piano orchestras into a movement!”
Aguilar also uses an innovative recruitment tool to build interest in his program. On its Instagram page, @CHS_A2Studio, students brainstorm video concepts and then post them. “It has turned into a fun, off-the-wall way to assess playing and singing, and it provides students the chance to shine in a way they are not normally used to. I have seen so much excitement build for my program through ventures like these,” he says.
As the Elementary Festival Choir Conductor for Albuquerque Public Schools, Aguilar connects with students at Cibola’s feeder schools. He has his high school students work with elementary students across the district to model positive behavior, vocal technique and the importance of singing throughout their lives. “My high schoolers get the chance to remember just how important music advocacy is, how much they’ve grown since elementary school, and how their volunteering can better local music,” he explains. “More locally, we’ve done an ‘informance’ at the elementary school up the street, and we’ve done tours and joint performances with our middle schools to vertically align our programs.”
According to Aguilar. “Cibola’s music program is a hub of developing young artists who are kind, motivated and self-sufficient in their learning. Community is key here, and we’ve got an amazing one!”
