MOOSEHEART, IL - Mooseheart High School students Melissa Quitoriano and Marco Namowicz are both tremendous musicians.
That’s not just our opinion - some people who know quite a lot about music have made that judgment. Quitoriano, a Mooseheart senior, was recently accepted to Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, where she will study euphonium in the Music Conservatory with Charles Schuchat, the school’s tuba and euphonium instructor.
Namowicz, a sophomore, has been accepted for intensive summer study in the clarinet at the acclaimed Interlochen Center for the Arts. The Michigan-based music academy that is renowned for its quality of instruction in many areas of the arts.
“Each one of our kids here at Mooseheart has a specific set of talents,” Mooseheart Executive Director Scott Hart said. “When they come to Mooseheart, it is our job to find what those talents are and then provide programming to provide for their talents.”
Quitoriano has been at Mooseheart just under two years and has benefited greatly from the school’s Commercial Music program, which utilizes a computer program called SmartMusic to help students reach their full potential.
“The great thing about SmartMusic is that it allows students to go at their own pace,” said Stephen Schmidt, Mooseheart's director of instrumental music. “Melissa was probably my best player when she arrived here. And this program allowed her to challenge herself and to push herself as far as she wanted in the last two years.”
In Quitoriano’s case, that meant the opportunity to break from simply being a player in the band to someone who could play solos.
“I know technically I have improved a lot,” Quitoriano said. “I was always just in band and never had private lessons. So I never worked on solos. With the commercial music program, Mr. Schmidt has a lot of solos available for us. We can listen on the SmartMusic program and listen to how it sounds.”
Schmidt searched various Web sites to determine audition selections for schools such as Roosevelt. He then loaded them into the computer so Quitoriano could practice.
“Some of the things I play now, I’d never be able to play in a band setting,” Quitoriano said. “I play a bass instrument. But I have opportunities to play individual pieces. And my range has increased. I can play really low as well as really high, which I was having trouble doing before. The program has helped me improve in all areas.”
Roosevelt does not have a performance major for euphonium. This is fine for Quitoriano, whose goal has always been to use her musical gift someday as a teacher.
“The euphonium isn’t usually an orchestral instrument,” Quitoriano said. “I’m going to be a music education major and I want to be a band director. That’s something I’ve wanted to be since the seventh grade.”
The commercial music program has also benefited Namowicz, who came to Mooseheart at the age of 4. The now 16-year-old began playing clarinet when he was in fourth grade.
“It was really when we started with the vocation that we saw him go from being a decent player to one who jumped by everybody,” Schmidt said. “The ironic thing is that he’s not ever had a private lesson.”
Interlochen features intensive practice during the week and concerts every weekend through the summer. In Namowicz’s case, the five hours of practice a day are something he eagerly anticipates.
“It’s going to be so amazing to be able to take private lessons,” Namowicz said. “I know I’m going to greatly improve.” Namowicz’s Interlochen experience begins June 23 and runs through August 6. This will represent the longest time he has been away from the Child City campus.
“I’m nervous to be away from my friends and the place I’ve basically lived all my life,” Namowicz said. “But I’m excited and looking forward to it.”
Schmidt said there are other talented students in the commercial music program, and their talents are coming to the fore, as they have for Quitoriano and Namowicz.
“What we’re working toward is a point where the kids in commercial music - maybe 12 to 15 kids - take private lessons every week with a high-level teacher,” Schmidt said. “We’re looking for grants and donations. There’s not limit to what they can achieve - not only Marco and Melissa - but all of them.”
Mooseheart Child City & School is a 1,000-acre community and school for children and teens in need of a secure home, located just south of Batavia, IL, between Illinois Route 31 and Randall Road.
Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations - the great majority of which come from the 1.1 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization, in more than 1,900 Lodges and 1,600 Chapters located throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda. Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus.
Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.
Mooseheart students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA or better (4.0=A) are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship funding, covering tuition, room and board in an amount comparable to that required for an in-state student at an Illinois public university.
Mooseheart is currently home to nearly 250 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a fully functioning branch of Fifth Third Bank.
In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville, FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $90 million worth of community service programs annually.
Founded in 1888, the Moose organization has long offered its members an opportunity to do good for others while celebrating life, with family, social, and sporting activities. For more information on the Moose organization, visit the websites at www.Mooseintl.org and www.Mooseheart.org or call 630-966-2229.
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