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Speech from Mr. Swanson at the Tri-M Induction Ceremony February 4, 2009:

Good evening and welcome to tonight’s inaugural induction ceremony for Hingham High School’s chapter of the Tri-M music honor society. My name is Rick Swanson and I am an assistant principal here at Hingham High School.  On behalf of the administration of Hingham High School, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to all of you.  This is a very special night for Hingham High School, and it marks a significant milestone in the history of our school and especially in the history of our music program. Though long recognized as one of the strongest music programs in the region, we take a large step forward tonight by establishing our own chapter of the Tri-M international music honor society.  The Tri-M recognizes exceptional high school music students who have distinguished themselves in a variety of categories – not just musical ability, but also academic excellence, school involvement and community service.  The young women and men we honor tonight have demonstrated excellence in each of these categories. They are among Hingham High School’s best and brightest.

To their teachers – especially Mr. Young, Mr. Cincotta, Ms. Sassano, Mr. Millen and the other music teachers who have worked so hard to make tonight’s ceremony possible – we all owe you a large debt of thanks. Your own abiding passion for music has proven contagious to your students.   Moreover, your tireless dedication to your students has inspired them to new heights of creativity and achievement. We are all grateful for your efforts.

To the parents of tonight’s honorees, we owe you an equal debt of thanks. You have no doubt played a crucial role in fostering a love of music in your children. I am a parent myself but since my own children are just toddlers, I can only imagine the pride you must feel in seeing your sons and daughters honored here tonight. I know as I watch my three-year-old twins play at home with their own small instruments – maracas, a triangle, a drum and even a harmonica – I can only hope that someday their play will blossom into a lifelong love of music. I hope that someday they will develop a deep appreciation for music, while keeping that childlike sense of wonder about music’s capacity to move us in powerful ways. To the parents here tonight, I congratulate you on helping to build the very best of foundations for your children. You no doubt paid for a lot of lessons, provided countless rides to concerts and recitals, and resisted the urge to block your ears when the notes were wrong or an instrument was out of tune. Above all you provided the patience, encouragement, love and support that your child needed. They wouldn’t be here tonight without you.

Finally, to the students here tonight, I hope it doesn’t strike you as strange that your assistant principal is the one standing at the podium, talking about the value of music. After all, my role here at the high school requires me to be one of the disciplinarians, charged with enforcing the rules in the student handbook. And as most of you well know, the handbook makes this point very clear: No iPods are to be worn in the building. So how could somebody who claims to love music make a regular habit of telling kids to take off their headphones and turn off the music? The easy answer, of course, is that I have to do that. It’s part of my job. But let me also say this: You don’t need an iPod. Now I’m not saying the iPod is a bad thing – I have one myself and I love it – but all of you who are honored here tonight have something far greater. You can make your own music. You can sing, you can play an instrument, you can solo, you can improvise and you can harmonize. Nothing digital can ever equal that.

I do worry sometimes, in this age of the iPod, as I’m looking out on a crowded school corridor and see a bunch of teenagers, all listening to their own music, whether those headphones are a divisive force – no matter how much good music they might be delivering to those ears. I begin to worry that we’re living in a fragmented time when I’ve got my music, you’ve got your music, and the guy who lives up the street, he’s got his music. I start to wonder if we’ve strayed far from a time when music gave people a sense of unity and shared vision.  I remember the many hours I spent at my grandfather’s piano, strumming my guitar and singing as he played, my voice joining that of my uncles and cousins. I remember feeling in those moments that music had an almost mystical power to transcend divisions and to connect generations. Not to mention, it was just fun.  But as I look out on all those iPods, I worry that some of music’s enduring power to bring us together might be lost.

But then I stop and think about the kind of young people we’re honoring here tonight – the kind of young women and men whose lives, no matter how full of commitments, always keep a place for music. So to tonight’s honorees, while congratulating you on your many achievements, let me also ask you: to keep practicing your instruments; keep singing; keep searching for a high harmony; keep exploring new styles of music; and keep making your own music. You are the keepers of the flame. Today’s world needs music as much or more than it ever has before – and we are counting on you to make that music.