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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
As Dover Sherborn High School closes its doors for the summer, and students and staff begin their plans for vacation, many have taken the time to reflect on the past year at the high school.
For Janice Barry, Dover Sherborn’s K through 12 Fine and Performing Arts Department chair, as well as the middle and high school band director, the 2017-2018 school year was quite a successful one for the district’s music program.
In February, the High School Jazz Band performed at the Berklee High School Jazz Festival. Community members may have seen the jazz band perform in Dover center in May during their “Cool Jazz and Hot Dogs” concert.
“It was a beautiful evening and a great way to get students out into the community playing for the community,” Barry said. “We definitely had well over a hundred people come out, and there was a variety of ages – from elementary students to seniors. It was a huge thing that went really well.”
During the school year, Dover Sherborn High School also started an “Arts Council,” with about 20 students altogether representing music, drama, and art.
“It was kind of an opportunity for students to share their thoughts on our program and help us move forward to grow our program,” said Barry.
Next year, the Fine and Performing Arts Department hopes to continue working with the students, and ideally, the Arts Council will act as a steering committee for the department.
The Dover Sherborn Friends of the Performing Arts also helped to introduce the Performing Arts Letter in Drama or Music this year, which recognizes students who demonstrate commitment to excellence, leadership skills, and positive contributions to the program.
Barry is also planning with DSHS choral director Geoffrey Herrmann to take the high school jazz, chorus, and concert band students to New Orleans, Louisiana, next year, where students will perform and also take in music performances.
While the department certainly is hoping to do more throughout the school year with their students, they also want to continue supporting and motivating students each day in class, too.
“A lot of our kids really like having music as part of their day here in high school, because it’s just so different from the rest of their day,” said Barry. “It’s a great way to relax a little bit. They’re still working very hard, but it’s using a whole different piece of their brain.”
Students have also commented to Barry that music class almost feels like a break from their academics because playing an instrument puts them in a completely different space and state of mind.
“At the high school, our music students just love making music,” Barry said. “We may be small, but our kids that we have are really passionate about making music, and it’s a privilege to work with them because they’re really committed and work really hard.”
