IHS offers extra period music classes to help you meet other aspiring musicians and gain a better grasp on the music and arts. Getting to start your day with music can be the highlight for many and although you must wake up early, sophomore Hollis Mitchell says, “The class is great. It is good motivation to get out of bed.” Waking up that early to get to school by 7:00 can be hard for people, like freshman (Mj M (cannot find on student locator going to ask him again)) “I enjoy it yes but me no like waking up early.” Most students agree, as senior Dominic Mendoza says, “Zero period is the highlight of my day.” Every school day, besides most Wednesdays, are zero period days where students enrolled in the class will attend in the morning before their first periods to learn music and hang out with peers.
Zero period is a fun class that you must sign up for before the school year starts as it counts as an actual class and senior Landon McDaniel adds, “It has a grade and counts towards your GPA.” But some students just view the zero period as a club. Students freshman Eshaan Boinepally, junior Issac Hildebrandt, junior Amogh Desai, junior Jack Roberts, and junior Elliot Holland all just view the class as a “club.” Junior Eric Coulon views it as a “club, but if Ms. Turner asks, class.” Some students would even consider just taking the class because it is a GPA boost, and it is doing something they love to do. To be fair, choir teacher Jessica Turner has to take attendance and grade students like any other period.
Currently, IHS offers two different zero period classes: Vocal Jazz Ensembles and Jazz Band. Within each class there are more competitive groups such as Vocal Jazz Ensembles and auditioned/competitive group Mix It Up (MIU) who perform for school assemblies and do other fun things. For example, around Valentine’s Day they sing for people with purchased Sing-A-Grams. Sing-A-Grams are around $5, and it involves the competitive group going into a chosen person’s class and sing to them in front of the whole class. This is a school favorite activity as it wastes time in class and is fun to watch your friends get embarrassed in front of you.
Jazz Band and Vocal Jazz also get to participate in Solo/Ensemble each year where members can get feedback and get graded for their performance. The judges come from colleges and universities from all over to listen to their performance and give their critiques on it personally. Most years here at Issaquah, tons of students from either of these zero periods participate in solo and ensemble pieces and lots of them even go to state! The solo/ensemble festival is great for students who are looking for a music career in singing or in percussion because getting different views from other performers and college students is great. Even though it may seem like you are just getting graded it will help you to boost your confidence as they will not just to point out flaws but also point out what you have done right.
Students enjoy zero period a lot Roberts says, “The class is fun I enjoy playing the songs in Jazz Band a lot more than normal band.” Junior Elliot Holland just says he loves “the class overall.” The students in both classes love their environment, teachers, and peers, as senior Reidar Geraci says, “I like the way things are.” Community and unity are two crucial factors of these musical periods because you come together at an early hour to fine tune and learn some fun music.
A zero period is available to anyone as you do not need to have any other band or choir class to be able to participate. Some students, such as sophomore Kanha Kompella, recommend Jazz Band: “[If] you are good at what you do, zero period will push you [to] the extreme if you are [an] academically competitive student.” Senior Genesis Lewin says, “It is an effective way to challenge yourself with harder music.” With a wide range of student views, everyone can still agree that the class is something worth your time. If you are wanting to sign up for the class when the time comes in spring, make sure you sign up for zero period. You do not want to miss these fun-filled music classes. To be able to join either class, contact the teacher before the year ends (in-person or emailing) to find out what the class will be called for registration when it opens in the spring. If you are interested in vocal Jazz, you can contact Jessica Turner and if you want to join Jazz Band then you will contact Patrick Holen, or you can just ask fellow peers.
