With a world class music program and hundreds of students who play instruments, it’s no wonder the music wing is filled with incredible talent. Senior Emiel De Jaegher stands out amidst this crowd of budding musicians.
De Jaegher plays the trumpet in the Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble I, and the Symphonic Wind Ensemble. “These classes are very hard, highly selective, and require a lot of work to be put in outside of class,” said De Jaegher. He also mentioned that they are capstone ensembles, which means they are the top classes available for the genre.
De Jaegher discovered his love for music at a very young age. He began to play the violin at age four and has been hooked on making music ever since. Besides the thirteen years De Jaegher has spent with the violin, he has also been playing the trumpet for seven years, and the piano for two.
Not only does he play for New Trier’s music program, he also teaches other students. “I actually have three students. I have taught ages varying from a current sixth grader to a current freshman in high school,” De Jaegher said.
Not many New Trier musicians have the opportunity to teach music to other students. De Jaegher feels that being a music teacher gives him an edge over other musicians. “Teaching has kept me on track with my technique and has kept me passionate about the music,” said De Jaegher.
One might assume that all of these music classes would take away a lot of free time, but that’s not necessarily the case. “There are only after school commitments when there is a concert that night, a dress rehearsal the night before, or an all day music clinic,” said De Jaegher. Chamber Orchestra meets before school at 7:25 AM, but De Jaegher was only involved with that during his junior year.
Looking past high school, De Jaegher wishes to continue with his passion for music, both in college and for a career. “I will most likely be playing in the school ensembles and studying with as many teachers as I can,” De Jaegher said. “I hope to go to a school somewhere in New York City so that I can also play outside school and be immersed in the music.”
For his career, De Jaegher wants music to play a large role. “I plan on studying neuroscience. The goal with studying neuroscience is to understand the science behind music. The topic can be interpreted in many different ways, and I’m very interested in exploring it,” De Jaegher said.
When asked what he does in his free time, De Jaegher immediately went right to music. “I compose or I try and make music with other composers, such as Louis the Child,” said De Jaegher. “We aren’t a band or anything, we just like to make music and record some tracks, nothing too serious.”
With all of his dedication to music, De Jaegher has certainly made an impact on the New Trier music department. You definitely haven’t heard the last of Emiel.