I've been thinking about Glee, and anxiously awaiting the 2nd season. Today I watched all sorts of interviews with Glee cast members. I watched one from the Tyra Banks show (which is awful by the way. It's just now her nitch.) and they had high school students sitting at tables representing what click they are or are not in. The outcast table talked about how they are looked down upon for their involvement in band/theater/music. This seems to be quite common in high school which has a lot to do with Glee's popularity. The cast of Glee represents the outcasts. Students all over can relate to this . . . but I just can't.
My experience at Wellsboro High was quite the opposite . . . in fact when my sister was a freshman she told me that my table was the popular table. (of course we weren't all musically involved- we were a combination of music, academics, and sports). I've been thinking about it a lot for whatever reason. I never once felt like an outcast because of my musical involvement or attachment to band. I don't know . . . maybe it's because that's not all I did, but even my friends in band weren't unpopular. We were popular.
I am very interested in hearing what other students from WHS think about this. Was music popular for us? Is it now? Or was it being involved in several things that protected you from being an outcast?
Here are some photo flash backs
My last musical involvement. Open Mic Night- kudos to Nate for that one
I think they should continue this all year long!
A cappella Choir
I believe we were singing to the girls X-country team?
this is our gleek photo in my opinion . . . look at all the
different stereotypes represented.
Not to mention . . . we are singing to a sports team . . .
Annie cast. Don't we all look awesome?
I think WHS deserves a pat on the back for having such an accepting community of students . . . at least when I was there. Musical theater, PMEA Districts, Regionals, Vocal Jazz, Marching Band-color guard, Chorus, Dickens Choir, A Cappella Choir, Women's Ensemble . . . and as I recall whenever students went away to a festival their placements were announced to the entire school while they were still away! (at least I remember band being announced . . . ) Not at all like Glee . . . and I'm so glad.
WHS friends, please post your opinion on this or your experience . . .
I agree. I've thought about this as well. I think part of it stems from being such a small school district. Since there were less than 150 kids in each grade and most of the people had lived in Wellsboro their whole lives, they had had classes with everyone in their grade at some point. The small school also meant we were able and encouraged to participate in numerous activity, so there was a fair amount of overlap between what would be strict cliques in bigger schools.
ReplyDeleteAnd the town itself has such an unusually strong appreciation of the arts what with HG, Community Concert Association, Town Band, Men's and Women's Choruses, Dickens and Laurel Festival, and EMMF. I guess it's natural that it spills over into the schools.
Not that I think being in band and chorus made us popular--we were incredibly dorky--but there wasn't such a stigma attached to it. Besides, most of the school basically had to participate in chorus at some point, right?
Anyway, that's what I think. Interesting post.