“I have known I wanted to be a teacher since Kindergarten when I taught my class how to tie their shoes,” Mrs. Pam Herendeen said.

Herendeen is the new music teacher at HHS.

“I genuinely enjoy working with students to create music,” Herendeen said. “My philosophy is to teach kids to be better people through music.”

Herendeen teaches band, choir, guitar and piano. Her band and choir will perform at the concert on Wednesday, December 18th at 6:30 p.m.

“I genuinely love making music,” Herendeen said. “As the concert approaches, we will reach the point in class where we no longer read the notes and rhythms on the page but start to make a genuine connection to the music, and we begin to perform with musical intention.”

Making a connection with music can be different for everybody, what may work for one person might not be so good for someone else. It may seem strange or confusing, but Herendeen has an interesting approach that some might say is very helpful.

“If you look at a solo vocal artist, my favorite example is Kelly Clarkson,” she said. “It’s not about her published music but how she performs it. She finds her emotional connection to the music surpassing what people may expect. As an educator, I want to allow my students the same space.”

To help create this space, Herendeen has set up a corner in her classroom stocked with basic needs. There are drawers with hygiene products, hair ties, men’s and women’s deodorants, and even an ice machine.

 “It starts by creating a safe space for kids to feel that it’s ok to make mistakes or explore expanded techniques,” Herendeen said. “Ensuring that the many social norms in a high school aren’t as prevalent in the music classroom.”

Leah Kelly (10) is in Herendeen’s choir class and takes scheduled morning voice lessons with her.

“Mrs. Herendeen really tries to make a connection with students,” Kelly said. “She teaches me how to use my voice properly and makes me feel better about it.”

Music is an intricate and sometimes very powerful art. There are a million different ways to create music, and even more ways it can be interpreted, but it can be hard to know where to get started. Challenges might get in the way, but it’s always possible to keep going.

“One of the biggest challenges I have overcome is my low self-esteem,” Herendeen said. “I’m not always confident, but life isn’t about displaying confidence. Life is a learning process, and learning to accept new things and make mistakes is so much more gratifying.”

Anyone can join a music class, it’s all about stepping outside your comfort zone.

“Every person brings their own experiences to the music and learning environment,” Herendeen said. “It is essential that everyone feels valued in the music space. This world can be very judgmental, and it takes just one adverse reaction to harm a student’s musical experience.”

Playing in a band or singing in a choir can be a good team building thing too.

“High [school] band/music made a significant impact on me,” Herendeen said. “The friendships and high excellence from competitions and performances are unlike any other elective.”

Herendeen tries to limit rudeness and negative reactions in her class in order to keep everyone as motivated and optimistic as possible. Having done band in high school, she understands the importance of feeling appreciated in the classroom.

“Gaining confidence in yourself and learning to accept every individual despite their oddities brings more positivity to the world,” Herendeen said.