Singing a new song in Marion

Singing a new song in Marion

Longtime West Memphis choir director brings his experience toMarionHigh

School, looks to highlight student singers, MPAC

Marion School District With an eye on building the choir program and boosting the prominence of the Marion Performing Arts Center, new choir director Doug Conwill brings more than 32 years experience in musical education, including a 23-year tenure at West Memphis High School, to his position at Marion High School.

In the unique position as high school choir director and Director of the MPAC, Conwill said he has his marching orders from MSD Superintendent Dr. Glen Fenter.

“Dr. Fenter wants to increase the community use of the MPAC and I am just beginning to look at ideas of getting name stars and holding a huge event,” Conwill said. “It is not the Marion High School Performing Arts Center, it is the Marion Performing Arts Center and we are going to have more public events held at the facility.”

Although he has not decided who to invite to perform, Conwill's life-long experience has allowed him to make numerous and influential friends in the music industry.

“We all want the MPAC to be top notch and have all first-class performances to increase the public's use of MPAC,” Conwill said.

“MPAC is a stellar facility.” Besides boosting public use of MPAC, Conwill said his primary goal at MHS is to build the choir program.

“The kids are excited and I am not just a serious musician. They know about the West Memphis Show Choir and they loved it,” Conwill said.

The show choir performed pop music but Conwill said he wants his troubadours to do a little of all music. He said he will begin developing a show choir at MHS but has additional interests that he wants his students to experience.

“I'm interested in a cappella and want to broaden students' interest to every type of music,” Conwill said. “I want to make the choir more visible for them to impact the entire district. We have some really tal- ented students, especially the ones I've heard already.”

Conwill is very excited about Marion Visual and Performing Arts Magnet and sees that venue feeding the high school music program.

“This program should reap the benefits of VPA,” he said.

Having students at Marion Visual and Performing Arts Magnet showing off their singing and musical talents is also a part in Conwill's plans to increase use and attendance at MPAC.

“This is an exciting time to be here,” he said.

“The district administration is so supportive and wants great things for the students,” Conwill said. “I am most excited about working for Glen Fenter again. He wants every program to be the best and to offer the best to our kids. It is going to be interesting to see in a few years the boom in Marion because of what Dr. Fenter is doing.”

Like another well-known musical artist, Conwill hails from Tupelo, Ms., and has a Bachelor's of Music Education in Instrumental Music and additional Bachelor's of Music Education in Vocal Music, both degrees earned at the University

of Southern

Mississippi. His 32 years in the music industry includes 25 years as a part-time church choir director and 10 years as a voice coach during the summer at Opera Memphis.

Saying he likes smaller schools, Conwill said he wants to make the MHS choir the best it can be.

With 30-35 musicians in his ladies' choir and the same number in the mixed choir, he said he is going to build on that.

“On the books (according to student population), we should have 100 kids in the choir. Getting more kids in the choir is my goal,” he said. “But one of my biggest goals is to expose the kids to some great guest conductors and singers and to attend those types of events at the Orpheum and Opera Memphis. We should be going to see those things.”

By Mike Douglas