On March 11, ISKL’s Inspire Programs campaign brought in renowned Guest Conductor Frank Troyka to conduct a workshop and clinic at the Melawati Theatre.
Frank, a teacher for over 30 years, is also the retired Director of Bands and Coordinator of Fine Arts at Berkner High School in Texas, USA, and is based there. He spent four days from March 8 – 11, 2023, teaching various High School (HS) music classes at ISKL, culminating in a workshop and clinic at the Melawati Theatre on his final day.
The workshop’s organizer and HS Music Teacher, Dan Miles, shares, “I am incredibly grateful to the Inspire Programs for helping us bring Frank to Malaysia. Frank is an incredible band pedagog. His philosophy on creating student leaders, inspiring students to be the best they can be, and then how he pushes them beyond what they think they can do is excellent.”
Dan describes how Frank led a rehearsal and lecture from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm with a 45-minute lunch break, saying, “Not a single student left for a water break or even a bathroom break. They were so enthralled with what he was saying it did not stop. His presentation of key concepts resulted in our students becoming better musicians.” He adds that Frank’s most significant impact at ISKL was his thinking levels, which gave the students concrete definitions of how they interpret and act in their daily lives.
When asked what he found most exciting about his time at ISKL, Frank shared, “What I found most gratifying was sharing ideas and best practices with highly motivated students and faculty. I think I helped deepen the student’s appreciation for the relevance of their study of music to their academic and personal lives.”
Frank also discusses how he feels that music is an abstract pursuit that can draw upon the students’ creative and critical thinking skills and embed them within the social responsibilities inherent in a musical ensemble. “Watching junior trumpet player Jaden P. coach freshman clarinet player Alan on jazz improvisation. This can be very daunting if you’re unaccustomed to improv, and Jaden did an excellent job of encouraging Alan’s small steps until he found a foothold,” adds Frank.
Thanks again to the Inspire Programs campaign for bringing Frank Troyka to ISKL and Dan Miles for organizing his visit and workshop. “Within our ISKL community, Frank’s visit provided a boost to the music teachers he worked with as they came out of the challenges of COVID musicking. He also worked with about 60 students from two local high schools, Catholic High School and SMK Chong Hwa, inspiring those students the same way he encouraged ISKL students,” says Dan.
The Inspire Campaign relies on the strong support of our parent community through PTA fundraising activities. We hope you will consider making a gift to the Inspire Campaign to help us continue to provide these extras that build our school’s culture of excellence. A gift of any size can have a great impact. Donate here.
