Jason Raetz' Homepage

	Jason William Raetz Contact info: jason.w.raetz@wmich.edu I am in my last year at Western Michigan University studying music education. Beginning in January '08 I will be intern-teaching alonside Greg Black at Lakeview High School in Battle Creek, MI. I am exremely excited to begin teaching this level of music and expect I will learn a great deal from Mr. Black.

Bio

I was born in Phoenix, AZ and attended school there K-12. I took to music early and eventually joined the Phoenix Boys Choir in 1994. I learned the fundamentals of sight reading and music theory while singing with the Phoenix Boys Choir. Singing in this ensemble gave me great opportunities to travel to such places as: Japan, Phillipinnes, Hawaii and Mexico. In high school I gained experience singing in many different types of choirs such as: large ensemble, small ensemble, jazz choir, rennaissance choir, show choir and musical productions. I also sang in All State Show Choir two separate years while in high school and sang in Greater Phoenix Honor Choir for three years.

Since high school I have experienced many other genres of choral singing. Barbershop singing was introduced to me my senior year of high school and gained interest very quickly. I became a member of a barbershop chorus and started a barbershop quartet during this time. We took our barbershop quartet, 88 Keys, to the National Collegiate Barbershop Competition at Kansas City, MO in 2000. We sang very well and took home 13th place as we were only high school students. After barbershop music, I moved on to a wider range of repertoire with four male voices and established two later a capella quartets. To this day, performing in an a capella quartet is still my favorite style of music to participate in. The close harmonies and tight sound that an a capella quartet can produce is unlike any other choral experience.

I have been at WMU for over three years now and have sung with University Chorale, Collegiate Singers, Grand Chorus, and Collegium Musicum. There is no other experience that fulfills my pleasure in teaching more than teaching/directing choral music. After teaching individual voice lessons, early elementary music, middle school music, and high school choir, I have become aware of my love for choral singing.

Updated: 12/11/07

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