Have you ever thought about how many classes are offered at Arcata High? Some elective classes teach you valuable life skills, some give you a period of something you like to do built into your schedule, and some have you scratching your head thinking, “Why the hell does this class even exist?” AAI Music is one of the least known classes on campus, and seems to be gaining no popularity. With a whopping total of just 14 students in the class, it is impressive to think that even a few students come to watch the showcases.
Every 6-8 weeks, the AAI music class puts on a show for the AAI community to enjoy. During these shows, groups play a wide variety of genres, including covers and originals. Junior Graham Eberle explained that his favorite song from the latest showcase was “definitely The Chain,” by Fleetwood Mac.
While I, and many others, give the AAI music class a hard time, the truth is that the students in the class really enjoy their time spent playing music. I know for myself the importance of having music built into my daily schedule, and I think the same goes for everyone in the class. “I really enjoy the chill aspect of the class, and the fact that we can really just do whatever we want most of the time,” sophomore Calleigh Lee explained.
The most recent showcase took place on March 1st, where a wide variety of songs and genres were played, ranging from metal to indie to yacht rock of the 70s. One of the beautiful things about AAI Music is that students can play whatever they want to, with very minimal requirements and limitations. This allows young musicians to express themselves through the songs they choose to play.
An average day in AAI music consists of a lot of music, but rarely productivity. As for myself, I will spend six weeks learning random songs with the boys, and then pick new ones to learn two weeks before the show. While this may make it sound like we’re never prepared for the show, AAI music assures you, we’re not.
“The last show was good. I personally did well, and everything ran very smoothly,” Lee added. I personally believe that everything went well, although we could always get more people to the show by advertising more and inviting more people. A couple of highlights of the show included the cheers from the crowd as soon as the guitar line dropped on “Layla,” and the powerful nature of the buildup on “The Chain.” “The show was good, maybe a bit short, honestly,” sophomore Wesley Morgan said.
Although AAI Music is not well known and quite a niche class, it provides its few students with amazing opportunities to play music together. The feeling of playing music with your friends as part of your schedule is truly special. I think that the class should expand its popularity by putting on more events and targeting students more than we currently are. This year, the AAI Music class is putting on a battle of the bands for the students on May 8th. This is a fantastic first step towards increasing the popularity and knowledge of the AAI Music class at Arcata High.
