There are many things that you can do to show your gratitude to someone and thank them for their hard work. You can give them a gift, write them a letter, or you could start a scholarship. Back in the spring of 1997, Dr. Richard Nickerson and his choral students went to Vienna to participate in a music festival and won the most prestigious award of the festival.
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| This year's Richard Nickerson Scholarship Concert will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4 at Windham High School. It supports WHS students pursuing higher education if they continue to make choral music a part of their college experience. COURTESY PHOTO |
Daniel Griffin is a Windham High School alumnus and was a Windham Chamber Singer back in the day. His daughter, who also attended RSU 14, was fortunate enough to also be a Chamber Singer, making it a full circle. Now, Griffin is a part of the Scholarship Committee setting up the annual fundraising concert.
While Dr. Nickerson was flattered by the idea of a scholarship in his name, he is very hands off himself regarding the scholarship.
“We have a small committee that meets throughout the year and plans the one fundraising event, the scholarship concert, which happens on the first Saturday of every January,” says Griffin. “We have been doing this for 28 years and we have all musical alumni from Windham High School come back for this.”
Janelle LoSciuto is the Artistic Director for the Richard Nickerson Scholarship concert, and she is the powerhouse that makes the show what it is.
They have had different performers from the very beginning when Dr. Nickerson started teaching music at the school to more recent alumni.
"It is a great type of family event that we are trying to keep on going,” says Griffin.
The $1,000 scholarship is awarded each year to a high school senior that is planning to make choral music a part of their college experience.
“It does not mean that they need to be going into music as far as their degree, they just need to keep it part of their experience, which makes it a little bit broader,” says Griffin. “It could be anybody who is in the Chamber Singers or the chorus.”
Picking one senior for the scholarship is no easy task. Applicants must be planning to attend a two- or four-year college program with choral music as part of their course of studies or extra-curricular activities and write an essay about what does music mean to them, how it has impacted them, and how they plan to make that a part of their life. The committee then goes by a rubric and picks a senior for the scholarship.
This scholarship not only helps the senior financially, but also helps them meet people that might not be within their cohort of learning.
“Unlike theater, not everybody is outgoing that does music; some people are very reserved,” says Griffin. “This gives them an opportunity to find their people in the college or university that they are going to and start making friends. Choral music or being part of some sort of music program is very similar to sports teams; everybody comes together for one particular purpose to improve and work together and harmonize to produce something wonderful.”
This helps with teamwork, improved mental health, cognitive development, social benefits, and a sense of achievement. Being a part of choral choir gives a sense of belonging, emotional expression, self-confidence skills, stress reduction, and cultural enrichment, all very important aspects in young adults today.
There is a lot to look forward to for the upcoming concert; it promises to be an evening filled with fun.
“There are many alumnae coming back, all with different backgrounds, some with operetta experience, some with their own bands, and for this concert, we are inviting all alumni who were a part of the Chamber Singers or chorus to come back and sing, so we will be having an alumni choir,” says Griffin.
All performers are from Windham and admission to the Richard Nickerson Scholarship Concert is by donation.
For further details about the concert, visit https://www.richardnickersonscholarship.org/. <
