In this morning's Chicago Trib

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Thought you should see this. Happy Holidays to all!

Marie

Tuning to Each Other

By Tara Malone, Tribune reporter

A slight boy with glasses, Choe walked to the front of the choir room and

raised his hand to signal for attention. The 16-year-old junior needed silence

and support to rehearse the lines he would repeat in a week before an auditorium

packed with students at New Trier Township High School.

For him, it wasn't just about nerves.

Choe has Noonan syndrome, a genetic disorder that can complicate speech and

vocal articulation, among other symptoms. Introducing himself in a loud, clear

voice to hundreds of his peers would be a challenge, but Choe knew he could rely

for support on the High Five Choir, where students with special needs perform

alongside general music students.

On the recent morning, with the big performance days away, Choe practiced his

part of the introduction.

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" Hi, I'm " he said in a faint voice, a dimpled grin dancing across his

face as he turned to his student facilitator, DelMonaco, who helps him

navigate lyrics and melodies.

They explained why " 'Different' does not mean 'less than' " and how people of all

abilities can find a voice in music.

" Hit it, please, " Choe hollered to the pianist as he high-fived DelMonaco, and

the music began.

The song described a child picked last on the playground and a bespectacled boy

who got teased. DelMonaco traced her finger along the lyrics, but Choe hardly

needed the prompt. He knew the words by heart.

Don't laugh at me

Don't call me names

Don't get your pleasure from my pain

Deep inside, we're all the same

" Don't Laugh at Me " is the choir's hallmark. Its words reinforce the group's

mission.

The High Five Choir has never performed this song — or any other — without

receiving a standing ovation in the five years since the group began.

The choir that has become a model of music education across the state got its

start during lunch.

New Trier music teacher Vaughan for years had included in her choirs

students with special needs, many of them unable to speak. But the interactions

didn't tap into the musical talent of every student.

" We walked away feeling like we did a disservice to kids of all abilities. …

There was socialization, but as far as figuring out what their music potential

was, we didn't even go there, " Vaughan said.

So Vaughan, special education teacher Jane Che, and a team of speech therapists

and music teachers kicked around ideas for better integrating students with

disabilities. They researched ways to make the music accessible to all

teenagers, whether that meant using sign language and drawings or instruments;

one young man, for instance, preferred to play the harmonica. Those who could

not speak could use electronic switches, which students could tap to play back a

prerecorded song.

The result was a lunchtime choir that drew teens with special needs ranging from

autism to Down syndrome, along with choral students who were trained as peer

tutors. Two facilitators or buddies partnered with every special needs student.

" You don't have to be verbal; there's a place for you here. You don't have to

have perfect pitch; there's a place for you here, " Vaughan said after a recent

rehearsal. " It can be the most crazy, chaotic place, but it's the little things

that happen that really mean a lot. "

The choir has become an example for how schools can integrate students with

special needs and encourage them musically and socially.

" We often think about trying to fit that person with a disability into what

typical students do. This allows them to be at their level and to grow at their

level, even if they just sing one word, " said Lapka, a Western

Illinois University music education professor and chairwoman of a committee of

the state's Music Educators Association devoted to " learners with

exceptionalities. "

From the beginning, High Five set ground rules: in this room, students are not

disabled but " differently abled. " Students stand before their peers to introduce

themselves and present each song. And, in the spirit of the choir's name, the

members high-five one another for every milestone, whether it is a chorus sung

in perfect harmony or the first, nerve-racking lines of a solo.

The philosophy resonates with students of all abilities.

" You might walk in the halls and feel judged. But once you're in High Five, you

just feel accepted for who you are, " said Amelia , a senior who joined

the choir as a facilitator two years ago.

As the bell chimed to signal the start of class on a recent morning,

DiVincenzo carefully made his way to his seat in the back of the rehearsal room

and the friends who meet him there every morning.

DiVincenzo — a 16-year-old with a quick grin and booming voice who has Down

syndrome — swapped fist bumps and greetings with juniors Grace Nash and Blair

Goldman and then rehashed the details of the latest Harry Potter film that he'd

seen during the midnight premiere.

When the music started, the group turned its attention to the chalkboard with

the day's lineup of music. First up? " Somewhere Over the Rainbow. " DiVincenzo

belted out the music with an enthusiasm that his partners have come to

appreciate. Goldman patted his shoulder after the first chorus.

" People are really struck by how much we are capable of doing, " Goldman said

during a lull in the rehearsal.

" They get it, " DiVincenzo added, nodding his head for emphasis. " They get us. "

Ken DiVincenzo has watched his son's confidence grow since joined the

choir last year. While he loved to sing, DiVincenzo became at ease

performing publicly and even singing solos — " He's way off key, but he really

belts it out and is comfortable doing it, " DiVincenzo said — and forged

friendships beyond his special needs group.

This fall, DiVincenzo was invited to spend a weekend at the University of

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a student who volunteered with the choir last

year.

" What's neat for us, as the parents of a special needs student, is seeing how

the 'normal' kids seem to get so much out of it as well, " Ken DiVincenzo said.

This fall, High Five enrolled a record 58 students. What began as an

extracurricular choir has become a class offered for academic credit.

The group performed in a ballroom filled with music teachers across Illinois two

years ago. (Watching " was one of the most profound experiences of my life, "

Lapka said.) They sang at Ball State University in Indiana last year. They

routinely perform in New Trier and the middle schools that feed into it.

The standing ovations are the best part, said a smiling Missimi, a senior

with special needs known to sing for hours in her bedroom.

" I think that's a big step for us, " she said. " I think the more they listen to

our songs, listen to our voices, they'll think we're cool. "

On a blustery afternoon this month, members of the High Five Choir hustled into

the auditorium at New Trier's freshmen campus in Northfield. They were scheduled

to perform " Don't Laugh at Me, " during an assembly intended to promote

understanding among students.

Wearing matching blue tie-dyed shirts, they arranged themselves in groups across

the stage. Just after 2:30, freshmen began to file in.

" Hi, I'm " Choe said into the microphone, his faint voice carrying across

the hall as he stood in the spotlight.

The song proceeded exactly as practiced. Whether inspired by the crowd or the

bright lights, Choe waved his arms dramatically, and DiVincenzo boomed the

lyrics with even more verve.

Don't laugh at me

Don't call me names

Don't get your pleasure from my pain

Deep inside we're all the same

When the last note ended, students in the audience hooted, cheered and, slowly,

they stood in applause.

The students of High Five again inspired an ovation.

As she walked off the stage with a final wave at the crowd, Missimi smiled and

said: " They listened. "

tmalone@...