Welcome to Mr. Dyrland's Biographical Webpage!
Hi, my name is Jonathan Dyrland and I am the Director of Show Choirs and Freshmen Orchestra at Lincoln Southwest. I am also co-Director of the Freshmen Concert Choir, the Mixed Concert Choir, and Varsity Concert Choir. My wife, Meegan, and I will celebrate our 7 year wedding anniversary this summer and we have a very active and energetic 4 year old son, Elliott and a beautiful 1 year old daughter, Alana. This page is designed to tell you a little about myself and to invite you, if you are a student, to participate in choir at LSW.
ME?!? Be in choir?!? I can't sing!!!
A lot of people believe that "they can't sing" or that you have to be a "soloist" in order to be in choir but that simply isn't true. To my knowledge, very few people step onto the football field their first time and complete a 50-yard pass and I'm sure our Math Department will vouch that very few students walk into Calculus classroom able to define the fundamental theorem of calculus. Its no different in the choral classroom. Students arrive every year eager to make music with friends and meet new people. To date, our department has served nearly 1,000 students with 250+ currently enrolled in choir (13% of the entire student body). Our choir department is a representation of the high achieving student poplulation of LSW. (e.g. Our Varsity Show Choir, 'RESONANCE,' boasts a cummulative GPA of 3.96). From athletes to valedictorians, leaders in student government, cheerleaders and dance team members, theater and forensics, clubs and activities, the members of our LSW choir department bring with them a rich diversity in backgrounds and interests. Being in choir truly is for everyone.
Why should I be in choir?
1. CHOIR IS FUN!!! Ask any choir student and they will tell you that choir is a fun class. We have a great time. Nobody has to take a choir class to graduate. Consequently, every student who is enrolled in choir WANTS to be there and it shows. We have a wonderful time making music together and not only learn music but learn a lot about each other and life.
2. SUCCESS In the short time LSW has been open, the choral program has nearly tripled in size and seen incredible success. For the past two years we have had the most All-State vocalists of any other local high school (8 singers in 2005 & 2006), we were the only high school to perform the Mozart Requiem with the UNL Choirs and UNL Orchestra at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts in 2005, and we were one of only six choirs in the state to join the Omaha Symphony Orchestra in 2006 as we performed opera choruses. Our show choirs have also had great success. In 2005, RESONANCE (the Varsity Show Choir) was the first LSW Music Ensemble to be selected to perform as part of the Nebraska Music Educator's Association's Conference Clinic. That same year, the group earned caption awards for BEST BAND and BEST CHOREOGRAPHY three consecutive times and was named OVERALL GRAND CHAMPION twice!!!!! This year, the Varsity Choir will perform at the Nebraska Music Educator's Associtiona's Conference Clinic and the choir will again perform with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra. Our student's are getting pretty popular with audiences all across the state and the LSW Choral Music is quickly developing a reputation of excellence in the state of Nebraska and the Midwest!
3. GREAT PERFORMANCE VENUES!! We know how to have fun and sing in some pretty amazing places. Our choirs have performed at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts and Kimball Recital Hall in Lincoln, First-Plymoth Church in Lincoln, and the Holland Center for the Performing Arts in Omaha. In addition to these amazing venues our choirs frequently perform at LSW sporting events held in our Gym and at Seacrest Field by singing the National Anthem. We also have members of our choirs that have performed all over Europe after being recommended by their directors to be a part of the Midwest Honor Choir.
4. TRADITION Because our school is so new, we make history every year. Who wouldn't want to be part of history. I relish every opportunity to tell our students that they are the first LSW anything! This year, we have our first mixed Freshmen Show Choir and our first Women's Women's Chamber Choir. By joining choir, you TOO can be a part of LSW history.
Benefits to joining choir!
Benefit One: Success in School
- Students with experience in music performance scored higher on the SAT: students scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation. (College-Bound Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Princeton, NJ: The College Entrance Examination Board, 2001.)
- Physician and biologist Lewis Thomas studied the undergraduate majors of medical school applicants. He found that 66% of music majors that applied to medical school were damitted, the highest percentage of any group. Only 44% of biochemistry majors were admitted. ("The Case for Music in the Schools." Phi Delta Dappan, no. 6 (February, 2004)
Benefit Two: Develop Intelligence
- In the Kindergarten classes of the school district of Kettle Moraine, Wisconsin, children who were given music instruction scored 48 percent higher on spatial-temporal skill tests than those who did not receive music training. (Rauscher, Francis H., and Mary Anne Zupan, M. "Classroom keyboard instruction improves kindergarten children's spatial-temporal performance: A field experiment." Early Childhood Research Quarterly 15 (2000): 215-28.)
Benefit Three: Success In Society
- The U.S. Department of Education recommends the arts as subjects that college-bound students should take. "many colleges view participation in the arts and music as a valuable experience that broadens students' understanding and appreciation of the world around them. It is well known and widely recognized that the arts contribute signigicantly to children's intellectual development." (Getting Ready for College Early: A Handbook for Parents of Students in the Middle and Junior High School Years, U.S. Department of Education, 1997.)
- Secondary students who participated in music classes reported the lowest lifetime and curent use of all substances (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs). (Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Report. Reported in Houston Chronicle, January 1998.)
Benefit Four: Success in Life
- "Music has a great power for bringing people together. With so many forces in this world acting to drive wedges between people, it's important to preserve those things that help us experience our common humanity." (Ted Turner, Turner Broadcasting Systems)
- "Studying music encourages self-discipline and diligence, traits that cary over into intellectual pursuits and that lead to effective study and work habits. An association of music and math has, in fact, long been noted. Creating and performing music promotes self-expression and provides self-gratification while giving pleasure to others. In medicine, increasing published reports demonstrate that music has a healing effect on patients. For all these reasons, it deserves strong support in our educational system, along with the other arts, the sciences, and athletics." (Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Leading Heart Surgeon, Baylor College of Music)
There are obviously a lot of benefits to joining choir and a lot of good things that can happen for you. I've heard many students say, "Oh, I'll join my senior year once I have all my other classes done and out of the way." Those same students spend their entire senior year asking me why they didn't join sooner. Talk to your friends about choir. Talk to your parents about choir. Then talk to you counselor about choir. You won't regret it.
A Little About Me
The summer between Middle School and High School, I played baseball on a high school team. I road the bench the entire season. Despite my hard work and athleticism, politics played the biggest factor in my involvement in athletics. So, I tried out for the drumline, signed up for choir, and auditioned for the first school play, Shakespear's 'A Comedy of Errors.' I made 'Tri-Toms' in the Marching Band, sang bass in the Freshmen Choir, and got a small role in the play. From that point on, I rarely left the Performing Arts wing of Jefferson High School. I participated in all 20 Theatrical Productions, became a member of International Thespian Troupe 561 and later a 100 point Honor Thespian, sang in the Select Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, and spent 3 years in the award winning 'Westside Delegation' Show Choir, and marched with the band all 4 years. My senior year, I served as Thespian President, Band President, and a Choir Officer. I was awarded the Iowa Choral Educator's Award, made the Iowa All-State Chorus 3-years in a row, was drum major for the 'Band of Blue' when they marched in the Orange Bowl Parade in Miami, Florida. I also performed with the Select Men's Choir at the American Choral Director's Regional Convention in Grand Rapids, South Dakota and then at the National Convention in Washington, DC, ran sound for 'The Diary of Anne Frank' when the show was performed at the International Thespian Festival in Muncie, Indiana, was awarded Best Male Soloist at the Onalaska Show Choir Competition, and was granted membership into the National Honor Society. I had a busy high school experience.
When I left high school, I had considered becoming a music teacher but was leaning towards a career in medicine with an emphasis on Pediatrics. I attended Kirkwood Community College for a year on choir scholarship where I got some 'core' classes out of the way and sang in both the Concert Choir and the award winning, Jazz Transit, vocal jazz group. I also played the role of 'Roger' in Kirkwood's production of 'Grease.' During my time at Kirkwood, I began looking for a 4-year college to attend. I looked into Coe College in Cedar Rapids and auditioned for another choir scholarship to assist with my education. Coe offered me a full-tuition scholarship for 4 years if I would major in music. I accepted and thought about majoring in performance. Mom and Dad said, "No," and so I pursued a degree in Music Education.
At Coe College, I was a member of the Mu Phi Epsilon Music Fraternity, American Choral Director's Association Student Chapter, Mortar Board, and participated in Concert Choir, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Orchestra, and Collage Vocal Show Ensemble. While at Coe, I had the priviledge of playing the roles of 'Gerald Bollingbrook' in the musical "Me and My Girl" and was nominated for an Irene Ryan award for my performance of 'The Baker' in Sondheim's musical, "Into the Woods." I was also given the Ray-Taylor Prize in Music and earned the school's award for Outstanding Senior during this time. While at Coe, I met my future wife, Meegan, who was a Business/Public Relations major who happened to play flute in the band. We met on a band tour to St. Louis. We both graduated in 2001.
After graduation, we moved to Lincoln, Nebraska so I could pursue a Master's Degree in Performance. It was my dream to perform professionally. While at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I studyed voice with Michael Cochran and sang in the University Singers under the direction of Dr. Peter Eklund. I perfomed in Nashville, Tennessee at an MENC Convention. While at UNL, I played the roles of Sam Kaplan in the opera, "Street Scene" (National Opera Award winner), a priest in "Dialogues of the Carmelites," Homer Collins in the musical "Floyd Collins" and a major role in "The Stork Derby." I also participated in Musical Theater Showcases and One-Act Opera performances. On September 11th, 2002, I was the tenor soloists for Mozart's Requiem in Omaha Nebraksa with the Omaha Chamber Singers and Chamber Orchestra. The performance was aired on NPR and was part of the "Rolling Requiem" - Mozart's Requiem was performed in every time zone around the world that day in memory of those who lost their lives in the 9/11 tragedy.
During the final semester at UNL, Meegan and I decided that the performer's life was not what we wanted for our family so we decided to move to Meegan's hometown of Willmar, Minnesota where I would pursue a career in Music Education. I taught K-8 General Music, 5-8 Band, 7-8 Choir, Theater and assisted with Student Council at Community Christian School for 1 year.
The following year, we moved back to Lincoln, Nebraska where I accepted a position at Lincoln Southwest High School, my current position. During this time, Meegan gave birth to our first child, Elliott and second child, Alana. They are our pride and joy and we love them very much. Everyday is a new learning experience for both of them.
My time at Lincoln Southwest has been amazing. When I first arrived, we had a 35-voice Freshmen Choir with 7 guys, a 40-voice Concert Choir with 2 guys, and a 50-voice Varsity Choir with 17 guys. We had a Varsity Show Choir with no name, no music and no choreographer and a Women's Show Choir that was in the same boat. Since then, we've grown a bit. We now have a 77-voice Freshmen Choir with 22 guys, a 45-voice Concert Choir with 18 guys and a 72-voice Varsity Choir with 30 guys. We also added a 40-voice Chamber Choir and a 15-voice Women's Ensemble.
The Show Choirs are a particular love of mine. We named the Varsity Show Choir 'Resonance' and the Women's Show Choir 'Diva's Intuition.' The choirs competed for a couple of years until 'Diva's Intuition' became mixed and was renamed 'Ambience.' In 5 short years, these two show choirs have FILLED an entire trophy case with awards and honors. Here is a list of all they have accomplished in the first 5 years!
- Overall Grand Champions (6 times)
- Best Vocals (3 times)
- Best Choreography (6 times)
- Best Band (7 times)
- 1st Place Prep Division (3 times)
- Best Soloist (2 times)
- Best Opener (2 times)
- Best Visuals (1 time)
I'm pretty amazed at what the students are able to accomplish. Their videos are all over YouTube. Go and check it out. I have enjoyed directing, choreographing, arranging/composing music, and spending time with these groups. It has been the high-light of my career. Each year gets better and better. I look forward to more students becoming a part of this rich tradition.
Posted on May 19th, 2009 at 1:39 pm by Dyrland.