Celebrating Song
Camas High School has been engaged in a fascinating educational program for the last decade or so. Under the guidance of Choir Director Ethan Chessin and facilitated by Arts For Learning, musicians are invited into the school to compose or adapt music for the choir. Along the way, students are exposed to the creative process, the history and cultural context of different genres and traditions, the business of music, the rigor of rehearsal and the joys of performing in big venues. In 2024, Alicia Jo Rabins brought her fiddle and guitar, and a suite of songs called Girls in Trouble, based on stories of women in the Hebrew Bible. The final concert included a full band and a string quartet - 150 voices with a full band is a pretty powerful sound!
For this project, I documented several stages leading up to the concert. First, I visited the classroom to film throughout a day, as different sections of the choir practiced their parts. One of the joys of documentary is the way a camera gives access to spaces I wouldn’t otherwise get to visit. Entering a contemporary high school is like getting a glimpse into a parallel universe, and as an educator, I always appreciate seeing how teachers communicate and collaborate with their students. My goal is to capture a bit of that inspiring dynamic.
From my years as a Montessori classroom assistant - back in the day - I learned the power of observation in an educational environment. We would sit on the side of the room, watching children explore and interact, intervening only when necessary (or when directly asked). That took some practice and restraint, since as adults we so often want to “help” - and thereby disrupt the opportunity for something to occur spontaneously. I feel a similarly heightened sense of observation when behind the camera. Knowing when and where to point the lens, looking both everywhere and at an intensely narrowed frame, not breaking shots by moving too often, keeping an eye out for communicative moments, and holding long enough to allow the unexpected.
While visiting the classroom, I conducted interviews with students, and sat down with Ethan and Alicia during their lunch break for quick oncamera conversations. Over the next few weeks, I filmed a dress rehearsal and preview concert for family and friends. Finally, I mingled backstage during the set up for the premiere at Portland’s Revolution Hall and brought in a trusty crew for a four-camera shoot of the concert in front of a packed house.
