Tamara Williams and Erich Wangeman can go on and on about the art and science of creating beautiful music.

And while their technical knowledge is deep, it’s clear that these educators (the choir directors at Traverse City Central and West high schools, respectively) find the most joy and inspiration in the emotional, sometimes intangible aspects of this craft.

They’ll tell you, for instance, that a choir is a community. More important than technical knowledge or individual skill is the ability and desire to work with and support your fellow singers. The real magic, they say, comes from this collaboration.

“To see students working together, encouraging each other and lifting each other up is amazing. They’re creating that safe space to be vulnerable and make beautiful art and then share it with the world,” Williams tells The Ticker. “It's really the community that we build within the ensemble that is so inspiring.”

The final product, in whatever form it takes, is always a source of pride for these teachers. But it’s the process of getting there that keeps them engaged and inspired day after day.

“I always say to students that when we share our voice with others – which is uniquely ours, it’s who we are – that’s when we're really, truly communicating,” Wangeman tells The Ticker. “And what a joy it is to be in a room where the kids share their voices and create something beautiful together.”

Born for this

Williams, a West graduate, has been at Central for almost 20 years. Petoskey native Wangeman started at West in 2013. They’re in charge of all vocal programs at both schools, ranging from beginner level and for-credit classes to advanced and extracurricular programming.

In their roles, they also produce and are heavily involved in the school’s annual musical productions. They are assisted in this capacity by an army of other music staffers and volunteers (“It really takes a village,” Williams says).

Wangeman and Williams both studied music education at Michigan State University.

“I think I figured out that I wanted to be a teacher in the second grade,” Wangeman says. “So I wasn't a performance major. I had no illusions about being a famous singer. But I did love teaching – I knew teaching was in my blood.”

Williams was teaching in Bay City right after college when the Central job became available. She didn’t expect to have a shot, but applied anyway.

“When the job opened up here, I wondered: am I too young for this? Like, would they even consider me? I only had a year and a half of teaching under my belt,” she says. “But I had that connection of being an alumni and the interview went really well, and now I've been here for 19 years.”

Striving for growth

As with anything else, kids come to choir with different natural abilities. The goal isn’t to make everyone an elite singer, but instead to ensure that each student improves their skills over time.

“Our job is to recognize and analyze the aptitude of students and achieve growth within their aptitude level. Our belief is that everybody can make music. Everybody can sing,” Wangeman says. “Yep, you might not be going to the Met…but everybody brings something to the team that's so valuable just by being who they are. They all contribute. That’s what makes a choir.”

Ultimately, it’s this element of personal growth that resonates with many students and is the driving force behind their instructors. Regardless of where you start, you can work to get better. A portion of talent is inherent, but the rest is earned.

“I love sports, sports are amazing. I was yelling at the TV the other night during the Lions game,” Wangeman says. “But what I love about music is that we're not competing to beat anybody. We're competing against ourselves.”

Working with high school students can be both a joy and a challenge. They’re “fun, hilarious and witty,” Willams says, but also under tremendous social pressure that often isn’t conducive to the vulnerability necessary for growth.

“The fear of being judged is just a part of being human,” Williams says. “And during adolescence, it's like that fear times 12.”

Part of the vocal instructor’s job, therefore, is to create a safe space for mistakes.

“If they're not trusting us or the other singers in the room, they're not going to achieve their potential because they're not going to take the risk,” Wangeman says. “And so we do so many things…to get rid of this stigma or the worry and to create and build trust.”

There is, of course, plenty of instruction on the science and technique of vocal performance – something that’s far more complex than some people assume.

“Sometimes people think that choir's easy, that the kids just sing along with the piano or something. That is not what we do. We teach them to be literate reading musicians exactly as any instrumentalist,” Wangeman says. “To look at a piece of music you've never seen or heard and be able to hear it in your head and then be able to sing it out. That's difficult.”

While it’s hard to work one-on-one with students in a large class or group, Williams and Wangeman are always striving to make those individual connections.

“A few years ago, there was a big buzzword that started to circulate through the world of education called differentiated instruction, and I think that's something that music teachers just do automatically,” Wangeman says. “Knowing where every one of these 50 kids is at in their growth process is our job.”

Many of the most talented students take private lessons outside of school, and scholarships for these lessons are among the many things both programs are "consistently and constantly” raising money for (among other items like accompanists, uniforms, piano tuning and more).

“You could have the next Pavarotti in your choir who could pay for their college with that voice. But if they can't study privately, they cannot build the technical skills to be able to be accepted to University of Michigan or Peabody School or someplace like that,” Wangeman says. 

Out into the world

Well over 95 percent of the kids in these programs won’t study music in college, let alone pursue it as a profession. But these music teachers tout the long list of skills that singing imparts to all kids, regardless of where they end up.

“This is team-based endeavor. You have to learn to work with other people, whether they're your best friend or just somebody you sit next to every day. You have to be prepared. You have to show up on time because if you're not here, then the whole team gets affected,” Wangeman says. “There’s so many skills we want them to take out into the world.”

And the confidence built by singing, especially in those who may have at first been too nervous to do so, is worth its weight in gold.

“I tell them all the time that if they can do this, they can do anything,” Williams says.

These instructors are also glad to introduce more art to society, both via their many community performances and through the students that will carry it with them (in one form or another) for the rest of their lives. 

“I understand that in a world with the turmoil that we're living in right now, it's easy to put arts on the back burner. But I'd argue that it's got to be completely opposite,” Williams says. “The arts are what are going to keep us connected as human beings. It’s the best way humans can understand each other.”

Administrators feel lucky to have Williams and Wangeman around.

"Erich is masterful at maintaining a high-quality program and being demanding while still having great relationships with students,” West Principal Joe Esper tells The Ticker. “Erich makes this work his passion, and students make it theirs."

Central principal Ben Berger tells The Ticker Williams is a “rock star” who brings an “unmatched passion and dedication to her work” and puts in long hours in and outside of the classroom.

“As an alum of our school, she takes immense pride in the program and works tirelessly to ensure it thrives. Her ability to connect with every student – encouraging them to embrace their unique voices – creates an inclusive and inspiring environment.”