Johnson finds her superpower through conducting “Avengers”

BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com

Through 22 movies, the world has been enthralled with the stories of Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk and Ant-Man.

These characters have wowed spectators with their resiliency and ability to conquer Earth’s impending doom, time-and-time again.

But before the armor and fancy suits, these characters started their stories as just a small somebody who was transformed when they stepped forward to take a chance.

While Samantha Johnson, an eighth-grade student at Mahomet-Seymour Junior High, did not step forward to undergo some sort of gamma radiation to become unstoppable, she did make the choice to step out of the middle of the pack to audition for a chance to conduct her peers as they play “Avengers” from the original “Avengers” soundtrack Tuesday night (May 7).

Johnson has been part of the Mahomet-Seymour band program since she first picked up a trumpet in fifth grade.

“Samantha has never been first-chair player; she’s been middle of the pack most of the time, and I was thrilled to see her step out of the middle of the pack and go after this conducting opportunity,” Assistant Band Director Phil Meyer said.

In mid-March, as the students began preparation for the annual May 7 Pops Concert at Mahomet-Seymour High School, it dawned on Meyer that the “Avengers” piece lent itself to a student conductor.

“We have a very, very talented group of individuals in our eighth-grade band,” Meyer said. “Whenever I see talent like that, I like to look for opportunities to go a little beyond just performing.”

To get their feet wet, Meyer allowed interested students the opportunity to mirror him while he guided students playing their instruments. Students were then invited to join Mahomet-Seymour marching band conductors as they learned how to conduct to pre-recorded music. The group of seven students auditioned for the conductor role by guiding their peers through the “Avengers” song at the beginning of April.

“Conducting is terrifying,” Meyer said.

“It is a very, very scary thing to do, especially when the people you are conducting are your friends and your peers. You are going up there doing something completely new, and all of a sudden the 85 students in the band have to be trusting her and to lead them in a way. That is not an easy task for an eighth-grader.

“For the seven students who stepped up and auditioned, there was nobody in that group that couldn’t handle the task. I want to applaud all of those students who auditioned, because it is scary.”

Johnson captured the vote of the drum majors and her instructor, and began working with the band.

“Every conductor is a little bit different,” Meyer said. “The band has gotten to know me and how I do things over the last three to four years. They know me, they know how I conduct, and Samantha is a new individual person who conducts very differently from me, even though I’ve taught her.

“When she steps onto the podium, the band has to adjust. And in a lot of ways, the band has to turn up the focus because she’s going to be throwing surprises at them that they are not necessarily used to.”

Working together is something that makes the M-SJHS eighth-grade class unique, according to Meyer.

He receives emails from parents saying that their child along with up to 15 other students, have jam sessions.

“When I was a kid, that kind of stuff just didn’t happen,” he said.

“There’s something unique about this particular group where they are willing to put in extra work, and they are excited about music. All of that lends itself to playing more challenging stuff, and playing more challenging stuff can be more enjoyable.

“The students in this eighth-grade class are very close and they get a little competitive with each other in a friendly way.”

The “Avengers” score is a nice introduction to conducting for a student. Meyer said the piece does not change tempo and the entrances for instruments are in logical places.

Johnson, who has always been interested in watching the M-S marching band conductors, said that being in the role has given her a new perspective.

“When I’m a conductor it’s really cool because I get to see what everyone gets to play,” Johnson said.

“It gives me a big appreciation for everyone because I’m not just looking at one part, I’m looking at what everyone does. I have a lot of respect for what Mr. Meyer and all the drum majors do because it is a pretty challenging thing to make sure all the parts are coming together and people are coming in when they are supposed to.”

Meyer was not surprised to see Johnson step up to the plate.

“She is the kind of person who is ready and willing to take on challenges,” he said.

As a seventh-grade student, Johnson got braces. She was warned that playing the trombone, or any brass instrument with braces, would be difficult.

“I told her, it’s going to be painful, it’s going to be hard, but if you put in three weeks of really solid work, you’ll come out of it and it will be just like you were before,” Meyer said.

“I think (she) really listened to me because after (she) came out of that, I think (she) was an even better player than she was before.”

While Johnson is nervous about conducting in front of her peers and hundreds of onlooking parents Tuesday night, she is also really excited.

Neither Meyer or Johnson knew how the project would go when they first began. Now, they both see how it has given Johnson the opportunity to become someone she was not a few weeks ago.

“What I love about the whole thing is it allowed the students who don’t normally have the opportunity to be leaders, to take that opportunity to step up and be a leader in a way that was never possible before,” Meyer said.

“It’s given me a lot more confidence that everyone is focusing and paying attention to the instruction that I’m giving to them,” Johnson said. “Usually I’m not a very confident person because I’m kind of tinier; when I’m on the podium, I feel like I’m six-feet tall.”