This summer, members of the music honors society group Tri-M, volunteered their limited summer time to decorate the music department hallways with new paint colors, posters, quotes, and thumbprint personalizations.

Members were not required to participate but they still came out on Friday’s and dedicated their time to make the department look better. This was a great opportunity to bond with other members that students may not know as well. Students had to work together all of the time in order to put up posters or just organize where the posters should be placed.

“I was really excited when I found out we were updating the music department. It definitely was needed,” Senior member Rachel Heikkinen said. “I helped out by putting up the decorations after the paint was finished. The inspirational quotes bring a new life to the hallways and make the music department more welcoming.”

Heikkinen’s response to the quotes around the department is without a doubt true. Every day as a music student, they walk through the bright, warm, and welcoming music department halls feeling happy and wanted and am grateful to be a part of this program. This redecorating really speaks to how welcoming and loving the music department students and staff are.

Senior member and historian Leah Bradley agrees that the music department looks much cleaner and inviting to all students. “Helping the music department was so much fun. We all crammed into the narrow hallway and everyone was doing something.” Bradley believes “It was also a great project to get students from all ensembles and grades to get to know each other and work together.”

“I liked the black and white contrast of the paint.” Natalie Cambone, a new member, said on her first reaction to the newly painted department. Cambone likes how the new painting showcases the student’s others talents outside of their musical talents.

In addition to the decorating, the members that decorated the music department wanted people to remember who did this and be recognized for their hard work. It isn’t easy getting every square inch of a wall covered with paint or scrubbing paint off your arms afterward. Senior member Aaron Kleinschmidt came up with the idea to use their thumbprints to create music notes on the wall. This was a unique way to showcase the people that helped, they literally got to leave our mark on the place they love.