When told that the RHS choir is due to prepare for a Renaissance Festival, a Fall Concert, Districts, and a Christmas concert all in a matter of months, students start to wonder about the sanity of Rolla High’s choir director, Jeff Sandquist. But for choir students, Sandquist is nothing less than a hero.
“He’s actually not that out of his mind. It’s just like Slow and marching band,” Lauren Schumacher said, “He’s out of his mind, but in a good way.”
“I wouldn’t put him in an insane asylum, but by our standards, he’s a bit crazy. He’s definitely not crazy by choir’s standard,” Heather Beger said.
During the day, Sandquist busies himself with over eight local choirs, including the Rolla High School Chamber and Concert choirs, Men of Song, Rolla Community Choir, and Children’s Choir.
“I think it’s not an understatement when you say that most of the Rolla music groups wouldn’t exist without Mr. Sandquist,” Sam Jennings said.
When it comes to choir, stress is the name of the game. But choir students seem to agree that it’s well worth it as they look forward to their favorite activities.
“Ren. Fest is what I’m excited about. Most of us haven’t done it before,” Jennings said.
“Choir’s stressful, but it’s totally worth it too,” Amy Mazzeo said.
With such talented students who feel the determination to press on when the schedule gets crazy, it never hurts to have a bit of a celebrity for a teacher.
“We’re so lucky to have Mr. Sandquist. People all across the nation know him. You go to these big conventions, and they know his name,” Mazzeo said.
“Composers will come up to him and say things like, ‘I want you to do this piece.’ We’re so amazingly lucky,” Jennings said.
If there’s anything choir students become used to, it’s Sandquist’s ability to prepare at the last minute, which generally scares his students to death in the process.
“He has that way of making you insane, because he tries to put together a two hour concert just the day before, and you’re like ‘This is not gonna happen…’ and then it does. It always does,” Beger said.
Choir appears to be one section of the Rolla High student body that those with busy lives should generally steer clear of. With so much to tackle, it’s inevitable that some students will be lost.
“A lot of the kids don’t like the extra rehearsals. Yeah, it’s cutting into your time. But if you’re going to commit to something, you should stay with it,” Mazzeo said.
Sometimes tempers flare, and students find themselves forced to cope with their rushed lives.
“You vent a lot. If he gets on your nerves, the number one rule is do NOT get in his face about it, because Sandquist always wins,” Beger said.
“He has a way of stripping away your dignity bit by bit,” Jennings said.
At the end of the day, the Rolla High School choirs appear proud of their leader, and kindly forgive the murder of their social lives as he pushes them through each crazy year.
“You will be satisfied if you really like music and work hard for it,” Beger said.
