Matthew Koehlinger is the new Choir Director for Palatine High School, teaching three classes that include ages from freshmen to seniors, Mixed Chorus, Women’s Chorale, and Concert Choir. He is also directing the jazz ensemble Midnight Blues, the male a cappella group ‘The Guys’ and the women’s vocal ensemble, Treble in Paradise.

Music has been a significant component of Koehlinger’s life since he started piano at the age of five and participated in various musicals throughout grade school and high school. Although only one of Koehlinger’s parents played an instrument, his father a singer in college, both encouraged their son to pursue music early on. Koehlinger recalls one of his earliest memories of music making.

“I was always involved with all the musicals at my elementary school,” Koehlinger said. “but I think the most significant one was when I was in second grade. I was a character called Herb the Verb and I still remember the song. I sang about action words, so that was really the pinnacle point of my career I suppose and that got me started with really enjoying performing.”

Throughout his high school years in choir class Koehlinger was impacted greatly by a brilliant mentor and music educator, Robert Green, to whom Koehlinger credits much of his desire to pursue a career in teaching music.

“It was my senior year that he passed away from a brain tumor.” said Koehlinger. “So, that was not the defining moment that pushed me into it, because I was thinking of going into education for awhile, but when that happened I had a newfound mission to kind of pick up where he left off and keep on educating young adults in the art of choir singing.”

Robert Green’s legacy of nurturing extraordinary musicianship will continue to live on through the many students touched in his lifetime and their students to come.

Koehlinger has had previous teaching experience prior to this year at Palatine, filling in for a director at Stag High School in Palos Hills, the Southwest suburbs of Chicago and also filling in for a teacher on maternity leave at Hinsdale Central. Ultimately, Koehlinger hopes students in his class at Palatine will leave Choir with a greater perspective on the art of music, and the role it plays in building connections between one another.

“I think one of the biggest things is how to be compassionate individuals.” Koehlinger said. “I want to use music as a tool to build a more worldly view and also understand how other people work, so that they can work better together. I think that’s one of the beautiful things about music, is that it’s such a collaborative effort. And If we take the time to really focus on that process of learning, people become much better team players which I think is needed in today’s society.”

As for the attributes necessary to gain great musicianship, Koehlinger emphasizes the importance of commitment, effort and versatility in expression.

“Dedication and hard work, some amount of intelligence is important as well.” Koehlinger said. “Really just the openness to expressing feelings that you’ve never had before. With Choir singers, we get the opportunity to be ‘choral actors’ and we have to commit to the text on what’s going on in the piece, whether it was 400 years ago or 50 years ago, whatever the situation, and we have the opportunity to portray a certain mood.”

It seems students will have quite a lot to take away from their Choir classes, as both developing young artists and individuals. This year marks the passing of an important role in music education and is starting off on a very bright note!