{"id":1837,"date":"2022-04-05T15:56:49","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T22:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/?p=1837"},"modified":"2022-04-07T15:30:07","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T22:30:07","slug":"happiness-is-those-who-sing-with-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/2022\/04\/happiness-is-those-who-sing-with-you\/","title":{"rendered":"HAPPINESS IS…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

…those who sing with you! The Class of 2022 Returns to the Stage with \u201cYou\u2019re a Good Man, Charlie Brown\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Happiness is singing together when day is through,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

and happiness is those who sing with you.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness is morning and evening,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daytime and nighttime too.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For happiness is anyone and anything at all<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s loved by you!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As beloved campus traditions have continued to return throughout the 2021-22 school year, Hillbrook\u2019s music department knew they wanted the 8th Grade Spring Musical – returning, as so many things have, after a lengthy hiatus – to be a truly special production. Over an action-packed quarter of singing, dancing, set-building, costume-sewing, line-learning, late nights, high notes, low notes, and everything in between, the Class of 2022 put on a show for the ages for the entire Hillbrook community: over two nights in late March, \u201cYou\u2019re a Good Man, Charlie Brown\u201d had our entire school community singing hooray, Beethoven, hooray!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a Good Man, Charlie Brown\u201d isn\u2019t just a classic show – it was an opportunity for Hillbrook\u2019s 8th graders to come together as a community and create something truly extraordinary together. \u201cThere was a special energy to this show,\u201d said stage director and middle school music teacher VanNessa Hulme Silbermann. \u201cI think [students] chose this show because it\u2019s just so iconic – and funny! The kids were really brought back the joy and the fun. We gave them jobs that they\u2019ve never done before, and they really stepped up. It was a real team effort, and it brought the class together in pretty amazing ways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8th grade counselor and show choreographer Eden Maisel agreed. \u201cOur goal was to have every 8th grader in a role that they felt comfortable with, whether it was on stage or back stage – we just met them where they were at, and they did the rest.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Every 8th grader in the Class of 2022 had a hand in making \u201cYou\u2019re a Good Man, Charlie Brown\u201d come to life – some students built sets in the Hub with electives teacher Ken Hay, learning to cut and measure pieces and paint backdrops; others worked on marketing and promoting the show, creating original posters and fliers to hang around campus. Students learned how to run sound boards, create sound effects, and hit high notes; they learned dance routines and costume fits and memorized dozens of lines of dialogue. Each participant quickly learned that every part in a production is equally important – the person holding the spotlight is just as key a role as the person underneath it. \u201cOne key thing I learned is how important everyone is,\u201d said 8th grader Jane, who played Violet. \u201cActors, backstage, lighting – everyone plays important roles and a performance could not be put on without them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd always go the extra mile,\u201d marketing crew member Aidan said, \u201cbecause the more work you put in, the better the show will turn out for the cast or crew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a first-time stage manager, Deeksha remembered learning, \u201chow to master the skill of multitasking – from handling distracted people [to] decorating [the lobby.]\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[I was] paranoid about not doing enough work in the beginning, [but my] job had a lot of significance towards the end and during the show,\u201d said Sharanya, who was in charge of decorations and concessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI learned how to be a team player,\u201d said Tess, who played Peppermint Patty. \u201cThis showcase takes extreme focus and teamwork, and if we don\u2019t all work together then the show would not come together. Teamwork made the show possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For the students in acting roles, they quickly discovered that the stage is the best place to learn how to leave any unwanted shyness behind. \u201cIt\u2019s not weird to sing and dance – it\u2019s weird to be the only one not<\/em> singing and dancing,\u201d Oliver said, reflecting on his role as Woodstock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn class I\u2019m mostly quiet and don\u2019t speak, so onstage I was able to be louder and more expressive,\u201d said Kara, who played a key role as Shroeder. \u201c\u200b\u200bMy favorite memory was when Maya and I lifted Jane up during the school musical – it took lots of hard work and trial and error, and so it was rewarding when everyone cheered.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI learned that I can do more than I think possible,\u201d said Brady, who starred as Charlie Brown. \u201cAnd don\u2019t be afraid to sing. If you practice a lot, you can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Creating the show together was, above all, an unforgettable bonding experience, creating memories that resonated with each member of the cast and crew in unique ways. \u201cI was surprised by how much we bonded as a cast,\u201d Brady said. Emery, who played Eudora, cited being backstage with friends as a favorite experience – especially when \u201c[they were] supporting me when I came off stage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tyler, who starred as Pigpen, remembered bonding with buddies after their in-school performance. \u201cAfter [we performed] in front of the whole school, we got to show our 2nd grade buddies backstage – that was fun!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the students recalled having a blast decorating the gym lobby before the show. \u201cMy favorite memory is when I decorated the lobby with my friends and we all sang along to different songs,\u201d said Abby, who played The Little Red-Haired Girl, Charlie Brown\u2019s longtime crush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 When asked to remember a favorite lyric, several of the 8th graders loved the finale \u201cHappiness\u201d the most. \u201cI like the \u2018Happiness\u2019 song because it shows all the good, happy things in the world and how little things can make someone happy,\u201d said Emery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orchestra member and production artist Niko agreed: \u201cI like \u2018Happiness\u2019 the most because it reminds us of the time that we spent together in middle school, or even my whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cComing out of COVID and the first time being unmasked and singing again – this was the \u201cnormal\u201d that everybody needed to return to,\u201d Eden said. \u201cIt’s the simple pleasures of coming together in community and singing and laughing that we all needed. It\u2019s in the song \u201cHappiness\u201d at the end: yes<\/em>, happiness is like pizza with sausage! It\u2019s the simple pleasures in life that humans need. Humans need connection, and they need the power of community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

…those who sing with you! The Class of 2022 Returns to the Stage with \u201cYou\u2019re a Good Man, Charlie Brown\u201d Happiness is singing together when …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","content-type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,22,92,60,202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-events","category-joyful-community","category-middle-school","category-music","category-the-hillbrook-quarterly"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/baseball.png?fit=1266%2C846","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1837"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1898,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837\/revisions\/1898"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillbrook.us\/voices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}