Bringing Singing to Grace
Mr. Leonard became the “Head of the High School singing group,” now known as GraceNotes, two years ago. He was brought on board to bring a new excitement to the group. His goal was to brighten the Grace community through singing. Last year, the high school singing group, then the “High School Singers,” comprised 21 members. They used LL6 as their space for practices and that room has become a place for the students to take risks and try new things. When I asked Mr. Leonard what he enjoyed most about working with the group, he stopped for a moment and said, “when the seniors were leaving their last class period we had a celebration. There were speeches, food, and the seniors reflected on their time here at Grace. They said, ‘LL6 became a home for us, a safe haven.’ As a teacher hearing this, this wasn’t my goal but it happened organically and it’s more than just singing.”
In this new year, Mr. Leonard has big plans for the singing group. The group has grown to 31 members and has reinvented itself as the Gracenotes. According to him, “the name High School Singers did not match the feel and the tune of the group. I had my students come up with new names for the group and Gracenotes seemed like the perfect fit.” Additionally, the new name refers to the musical term; a “gracenote” is an embellishment or extra note to make something more fun or interesting.
Besides the new name, the music has also changed to be more meaningful. The main theme for this year is, “the world of music…becoming global citizens.” Mr. Leonard has chosen songs that are enjoyable and at the same time send a message important to our community. “There is so much more to our world than our little small bubble of the city and I want to try to have the Gracenotes sing in different languages. Singing in different languages allows for my students to learn more about different cultures around the world.”
His other role in Grace is teaching Drama and Musical Theatre teacher along with Ms. Jacob. Last year’s showcase, “As You Like It”, was his favorite performance by far. He said that besides that musical, which was the largest project at Grace so far, the theater, the professional band, and the mixed age cast were all very inspiring. Even though he just became the head of the program two years ago, Mr. Leonard has big dreams for the future. For example, he would like to teach a singer-songwriter class, have a jazz choir, and introduce more classical music into the school. On October 10, a professional touring group is coming to perform with GraceNotes. In the spring, they are going to Washington D.C. with the jazz ensemble. Also, this year will be their first concert in the new gym! Lastly, Mr. Leonard’s hope is to have the Gracenotes perform all over the world. We are excited to see how Mr. Leonard and the vocal program will incorporate more singing and enthusiasm into the Grace community!