New vocal director brings energy to choirs

Choir director Andrew Ford looks around at faces of the students around him. Some are smiling, other dazing off into the distance, still others forcing their eyes open in an attempt to fight their fatigue. 

Taking a deep breath, he raises his arms and starts to lead the group in singing “Veniki,” a Russian folk song. Suddenly he sees, in the eyes of one of the students who seconds ago were fighting off sleepiness, a twinkle of understanding. The boy looks stunned for a moment, and starts to sing with the vigor and excitement he held back before.

Ford makes eye contact with the student, gives him an encouraging smile, and watches as the boy’s excitement disseminates to the students around him.  

“My favorite thing about teaching music is what I call the ‘Aha moment’,” Ford said. “ It’s at that ‘Aha moment’ where all of a sudden a student gets what the song is saying. It means that the student has taken everything I’ve taught them and internalized it.”

Ford, who has replaced the retired Jim Yowell, plans to direct the choir for the remaining part of this year. Ford has studied voice and conducting at San Jose State as well as worked as a vocal director for Children’s Musical Theater in San Jose. 

Ford said that he got the job as the new choir director through indirect connections with music director Michael Boitz. Both Ford’s teacher at San Jose State and the choir director at West Valley College recommended him to Boitz, saying that Ford would connect well with the students.

“I really and truly feel very honored and grateful for this opportunity to be teaching at Saratoga,” Ford said, “It could have been any other person here, and I got picked; it’s kind of like winning the lottery.”

Ford will remain the choir director for the remainder of the year, but arrangements for next year and the years following are still up in the air.

“I would love to make a home here as a Falcon, but what we are looking at here right now is finishing off the semester,” Ford said.

He said that for the few months he has with the choir, he wants to make sure that they are prepared for their evaluations in the spring.

“I know it might sound weird that I’m focusing on the short term, but my focus is on the end of this year, and making sure it doesn’t feel like, ‘Oh, there’s a replacement here and he did an awful job,’” Ford said.  “My goal is to give [the choir] a spectacular end of the year.”

Senior Nina Jayashankar said that her favorite thing about Ford is the way he engages the students in the songs.  

“Mr. Ford is a great music teacher because he really cares about articulating the story behind the songs we sing,” Jayashankar said. “He gives our music a lot of variety and focus.”

Jayashankar noted the differences in the two directors' teaching style.

“Mr. Ford teaches a lot of music through solfege [a method used to teach pitch and sight singing], which is a technique we have never really used with Mr. Yowell,” Jayashankar said. “There are moments when we find this a bit frustrating because the process is new and difficult for us but it has helped us improve our ears with scales.”

Ford plans to make the most out of his time here.

“I have this great opportunity, and if it only lasts six months, I’ll have had an amazing experience with this group kids,” Ford said. “And if it’s the beginning of many many years to come, then I am ready to build this choir program up.”