Located in the Last Frontier, nestled between sweeping mountains and lush forests, Chugiak High School is home to a dynamic and diverse orchestra program. Students in CHS Orchestra take pride in helping develop and foster a collaborative, student-centered learning environment. Composed of two groups, Concert and Symphonic Orchestras, Chugiak’s orchestras showcase various skill levels. Some students begin their playing journey in high school and work hard to learn from their peers who have been playing in school since middle school. A few others have been taking private lessons since a young age and seek to lead their peers as they grow in their playing. No matter where students are as musicians, they care about one another, as they are all part of the same team. In rehearsals, students are actively engaged; they are encouraged to give feedback for each other and take ownership of their playing.
Classes typically consist of full-group rehearsal, rigorous chamber music rehearsal and performances, masterclasses with local artists, and sectionals led by auditioned section leaders. Students are challenged to push themselves in their practicing and playing, while being provided a safe place to make mistakes and ask questions. Chugiak Orchestra students are a tight-knit family and are passionate about supporting one another, and they also strive to be involved in their local community. Concerts are often merged with the local middle school, where students can show their support for the younger musicians in the community, encouraging them and helping them expand their love for their instrument. Students enjoy performing in different venues in their community to share their music with others.
All concerts are open to the public, especially to little kids who may find their love of music through the performances. Some fun aspects of the CHS orchestra include: pancake parties the day after concerts, being guest judges at the local middle school orchestra’s masterclasses, playing Happy Birthday for students’ special days, and laughing together a lot. A positive, collaborative atmosphere that pushes students to excel in their playing and in their character are some of the main goals of the CHS Orchestra program. CHS Orchestra has been proud to graduate students who were valedictorian and salutatorian of their classes, students who went on to study music performance and education after high school, students who went on to study something completely different than music and loved it, and students who came back to CHS to offer coachings and support the program’s current musicians. We are proud musicians and proud to be Chugiak Mustangs.
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Ruth Schwartz is an orchestra teacher, cellist, Alaskan transplant, wife to a fellow teacher, and mom of 2 littles who love to sing. Her passion for teaching first began when she worked with middle schoolers in Chicago while studying cello performance at DePaul University. Her calling to become a music teacher was further solidified when she taught cello in Trujillo, Peru for two summers.
Ruth fell in love with Alaska and its rich culture and beauty while spending time earning her MAT degree at University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau. She has been teaching orchestra in Alaska for 7 years and loves working with both her middle school and high school orchestras in the Chugiak community.
about
the 50 state
string orchestra project
2022-2024
The 50 State String Orchestra Project is a large-scale consortium commission that is bringing new music to classrooms and concert halls all over the US in the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 seasons, with educational and community orchestras in all 50 states commissioning a new piece for string orchestra, similar in difficulty level and scope to Stephanie’s 2011 work for string orchestra Beyond the Gate. Her consortium commissions for chamber music have already brought new string-centered music all across the world, from her 50 State Sonata Project for violin + piano, inspired by the work of her teacher John Kendall, and her World Sonata Project, which was commissioned by violinists from 35 countries in 2016.