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Who is Great Falls Youth Choir?
Who is Great Falls Youth Choir?
Great Falls Youth Choir is a group for upper elementary and early middle school students who are looking for an extracurricular place to sing with friends. The choir will offer opportunities for students to develop their singing voices and practice performing for the public. Maybe fitting choir into a busy middle school schedule is too much of a challenge, or maybe you are looking for more ways to stay involved in the extracurricular music community. Great Falls Youth Choir is here to provide a third space to experience and develop musicianship.
Who is the director?
Who is the director?
DC Metro area native, Samantha Locraft, is a music educator, choir director, woodwind doubler, and music arranger.
She is passionate about embracing music from across all genres and styles and admiring what unique strengths each artist brings to their craft.
She received her bachelors in Clarinet Performance and Music Education from Carnegie Mellon University in 2020. During her time at Carnegie Mellon University, she performed in a wide range of ensembles, from new opera to philharmonic orchestra. In 2019, she was inducted into the national music honor society Pi Kappa Lambda and received the largest scholarship the school of music awards for excellence in Music Education. Samantha was honored to accept the Sigma Alpha Iota Scholastic Award and to speak for her class at graduation. She performed, taught, and arranged in Pittsburgh before returning to Maryland in 2023 to serve the music community.
In addition to playing for choirs, orchestras, bands, and pit orchestras, she teaches woodwind lessons at the International School of Music to students of all ages. She taught elementary general music and choir at Seven Locks Elementary School from April to May in 2024, and at Beverly Farms Elementary School from September 2024 to June 2026.
A note from Sam on her teaching philosophy
A note from Sam on her teaching philosophy
Like so many of us, I know musical ensembles helped me navigate the challenges I faced in elementary and middle school. Music brings diverse people together under a common goal. Now more than ever, we need the unifying power of music in our communities. I hope to bring the comfort, peace, and joy that I have found in music to as many people as I can.
Anyone can succeed in music. For every student, experiencing music can be a time for introspection and for practicing public expression. Music is personal, yet it can bring people of all different backgrounds together. The study of music builds critical thinking and problem-solving skills, caters to the development of an open mind, and advances social growth.
I believe students can learn music’s greatest lessons in a respectful enviornment with high expectations. I teach students how to practice efficiently. The discipline required to practice music will carry over to the other challenges they face in their lives. In my choir, students will encounter music that is familiar and unfamiliar. As they learn to approach new ideas with an open mind, they will also learn to hold history in both reverence and criticism. Above all, students will practice being part of a team. By practicing and experiencing music together, students will learn how to express themselves in healthy ways and how to work together. I believe studying music in a critical, respectful, and collaborative context will benefit every student in whatever dreams they choose to chase.
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