By Bobby Black – Sports Editor

Ms. Jones is the Choir Director at Jonathan Law High School. She has been in the Milford Public Schools system for 11 years and loves to teach choir. Advocate Sports Editor Bobby Black interviewed Jones about the school year and the recent Welcome Back To Music Night.

Bobby Black: When did you start to become interested in singing and choir? 

Ms. Jones: I have always enjoyed singing since I was very young (which was a very long time ago, haha). I used to sing solos at school talent shows and for weddings and my first communion. However, I majored in Music education with a Flute concentration. It was in college when I started filling in for a director at a church for their choir that I was able to apply all of my learning directly to practice that I truly fell in love with choir. The way we engage and give something personally, our voices, to connect, unite and make beauty is something unique to choir. 

BB: What inspired you to become a choir teacher at Jonathan Law?

MJ : I started in the district 11 years ago and taught at East Shore and Harborside. I really enjoyed that experience but, as my children were starting to get older, I was excited for the opportunity to expand my teaching skills and challenge myself to help students perform on a different level. The opportunity to teach at Law was a wonderful moment to make that a reality!

BB: What were some of the highlights of the Welcome Back To Music Concert?

MJ : I was extremely impressed with the students’ focus and dedication to represent their learning and musicianship. Watching the choir walk across the field in one long line really solidified that after all of these years and the hard work put in by our alumni, we are still here, still strong and will continue to grow!

BB: Will there be more concerts, and if so, when and where will the concerts be held?

MJ: There will certainly be more concerts. With the guidelines continuing to change we are waiting to hear when our next performance will be depending on whether we can start to perform inside or continue to stay outside. We  have definitive plans for the spring and tentative plans in between! We cannot wait!

BB: What will you look to work on for the next concert?

MJ:We will definitely be working to improve our vocal techniques to become more solid and comfortable singing together. It has been a very long time since we have been able to perform as one large ensemble and some students haven’t been able to sing in person, in a group, for almost two years prior to this year as middle school didn’t have choir last year and many students were virtually learning. So, it is our goal to build our vocal techniques so we can perform to our highest potential!