This August, Elijah Lopez was introduced as the new director of the Emerson choir. Lopez graduated from the University of North Texas and has shown an inclination toward teaching students to improve all the time, creating a close-knit classroom environment and introducing new methods of practicing vocal music.
Now Lopez has ambition to amplify the Emerson choir, though he would have never imagined this being a core part of his life. When Lopez was in middle school, he was initially placed in a band class only to fill the spots in his schedule. During this time, he felt no particular connection to it and felt that it was no different from a core class. This all changed, however, when he attended a field trip sponsored by his school.
“I saw a high school music ensemble perform … The excellence of the group, the high level of performance and the commitment that they had to one another as a team motivated me … to pursue music for a lifelong career,” Lopez said. “In a moment, my life was changed, and I knew that music was a place for me.”
When Lopez joined his university’s choir program as a junior in college, he was surrounded by people who had been in choir almost their entire lives. Though he was placed in a choir class with people who had the same level of experience as him, the warm-up—which required him to recite ascending pitches with their associated hand signs—seemed to come naturally to others, while he felt inexperienced.
“At the end of the exercise, my director comes up and stands next to me,” Lopez said, “He says, ‘This is what we’re aiming for … he didn’t stop for a second … he’s getting better all the time.’”
As a result, Lopez emphasizes the value of encouraging students to perpetually improve.
“I instill that in my students … growth is our mindset. We are always looking to get better; we’re not satisfied by a score.” Lopez said, “This ensemble is known for its prestige and excellence in performance … but I’m going to teach my students not to be satisfied with a big trophy.”
Lopez teaches his students this virtue of determination, which complements his ability to connect with students who pursue music.
“He focuses on building relationships with students, which is so important because choir and music is so emotional,” social media manager Olivia Northcutt, 12, said. “You need that trust and vulnerability to succeed. My friends and I, most of us officers, eat lunch with him in his office. We have fun together, but when we have to learn, he tells us what we need to learn.”
Lopez maintains a fast-paced environment without compromising rich learning opportunities. Students are learning multiple songs a week while still thoroughly diving into music theory to understand what they’re singing.
“He’s been very efficient … In the past week and a half of school. I’ve learned four or five songs,” Northcutt said. “Mr. Lopez goes straight to the words [of the song], if not, he teaches solfege three or four times, then in the same class teaches words. … He teaches a lot more about music theory, why certain chords do certain things and how to use our voices correctly.”
Before students became familiar with Lopez, they had an idea of what the new director could be like. After being taught by him, they could see the dynamics of the classroom as well as Lopez’s way of carrying himself.
“I was interested in who the person was and what their teaching looked like before they came to our school,” Choir Librarian Cairo Scruggs-Lewis, 11, said. “He has a very different way of teaching than I’m used to. He has different techniques as far as the way he teaches us and the warm-ups are different. He also has a very big personality.”
Lopez’s impact has already been felt by the officers of the choir, who benefit from Lopez’s philosophy of committing to choir because it is so personal.
“Usually in an ensemble … all sections should have the same blended tone. In choir, that’s not realistic; my voice will never sound like yours … there’s an aspect of vulnerability in which you are seen and heard.”
