It was a music video made from the heart and souls of some very talented West Jordan High School students under the direction of choir teacher Keith Evans.
On this special two-hundredth edition of the Supercast, meet members of the West Jordan High pop group Encore and find out why popular music artist Jason Mraz reached out to them with a message the students will likely remember for a lifetime.
Audio Transcription
[Music]Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It was a music video made from the heart and souls of some very talented West Jordan High School students under the direction of choir teacher Keith Evans.
On this special 200th edition of the Supercast, meet members of the West Jordan High pop group Encore and find out why popular music artist Jason Mraz reached out to them with a message the students will likely remember for a lifetime.
We're here at West Jordan High School in the choir room with choir director Keith Evans and with members of the Pop Vocal Ensemble Encore. Now I've seen your work over the years as people have enthusiastically emailed me the videos that you've put together out on the salt flats if I'm not mistaken. Those are amazing videos, high production quality. At first, you're taken by the scenery, but you're very quickly mesmerized by the vocal performance, it's really incredible. I always look forward to that. People generally know that I'm a music fan, so I always get it from various sources. They always send me your video each year, which is really cool for me. And I'm really excited to finally get to talk with some of you about it. So we're gonna talk with the director here first and tell me a little bit about Encore’s history and purpose.
Keith Evans:
Yeah, so when I took the job from my predecessor, Kelly DeHaan, he's a very well-known--
Anthony Godfrey:
You took the job from your predecessor. You wrestled him to the ground and said, “It's over, I'm taking over.”
Keith Evans:
As a matter of fact, he texted me and said, “Hey, I'm moving high schools, would you like to throw your hat in the ring to be the replacement?” And I thank him forever more for that text. But Kelly is well known in the community as very classically trained. I am not. My background is pop music. I sang with a pop group at BYU as a student, and I've mostly worked in that realm. And so when I took this job, I said, “I can't be another Kelly DeHaan, and I shouldn't try to be. I’m going to be me.” And so I took one of his one of the choir ensembles which was called Junior Madrigals and I said we're gonna do what I know instead and we turned it into Encore which is a pop a cappella ensemble. It's small. There are 11-12, there have been as many as 16 members of the group.
Anthony Godfrey:
You don’t combine it into Pop-a-Pella or something?
Keith Evans:
No other groups have done that before and it's a little cringe. But we came up with the name Encore and we said what we're gonna do is what I know, and it's covers and occasionally original music of contemporary music. I feel like there's a lot of contemporary music that purists kind of turn their nose up to and ignore.
Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you.
Keith Evans:
For whatever reason.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, it gets overlooked.
Keith Evans:
It does. People say, well, you know, it wasn't written 400 years ago by a person in a powdery wig so why should we care?
Anthony Godfrey:
Right.
Keith Evans:
And I think that there's a lot of great music that gets missed because of that. And so Encore focuses on this newer stuff, and frankly, that's one thing that gets the kids so excited is they're able to sing stuff that, "Oh, I listened to that guy already in the car. That person's on my playlist," or whatever. Our other choirs are very traditional, like you'd expect a choir in any high school to be, but Encore is a little bit different. For the last three years, we've been focusing on that. One of the elements of Encore's mission is to engage the students in all aspects of music production including music videos which is a huge element in any musical artists, you know, oeuvre they do these days.
Anthony Godfrey:
Ever since I was in middle school it has been an important component of pop music.
Keith Evans:
Thank you MTV.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, exactly. So I'm going to butcher the quote but I agree with you that there's so much great music overlooked. The quote from Duke Ellington that I've always liked is “If it sounds good, it is good.”
Keith Evans:
Oh, I love that. I've never heard that before but that's I'm putting that in my phone when we're done today.
Anthony Godfrey:
There's a lot that sounds good out there, and that is good out there, that gets overlooked like you said. I'm a huge pop music fan and so that's only part of why I'm excited to talk with you.
Keith Evans:
No, I'm so glad. I didn't know you were a pop music fan, Dr. Godfrey, that's cool. So am I. And hopefully, at the end of the year, I can look at my students and say that they are too even if they weren't as familiar with it at the beginning of the year.
Anthony Godfrey:
So let's talk with some of the members of Encore about what being in Encore has meant to you. Introduce yourself and tell me a little bit about your experience.
Nate:
My name is Nate. I joined Encore this year as a junior and kind of joined this class. I had a couple of the seniors that were in it just kind of tell me, "Oh, you’d do kind of well in it, I think, and so you should audition." And I did and I got in and I was terrified because I am more of a musical theater performer and much less of a pop music and I'm not super familiar with it. But I got into the class and just the minute that we stepped into that class, it was basically just a family. We were able to connect really well with each other because it was so small. And we just like the first day just kind of huddled around the piano and started like singing together. And it was just a really cool and magical experience just to like connect and create music with each other. And it was just really awesome and magical.
Ellie:
I'm Ellie. Encore was the first choir I did. I didn't want to do choir at all, but then I went to one of the pop concerts and I was like, “Oh wait, this is actually kind of cool. I kind of want to do that.” So I saw Encore and I was like, “OK, maybe I should try it.” And I did. And it was really fantastic.
Antonella:
I'm Antonella and honestly, Encore is my favorite music class. For somebody that loves music, I love all kinds of varieties, and it's just amazing. But Encore has just been such an amazing experience. When I heard that I was finally allowed to audition for Encore, some people actually told me that they didn't think I was fit for Encore because I'm more of a classical kind of girl. Yeah, I'm more of just like a musical theater, more of like opera kind of, you know. And honestly, I was like, you know, I think Encore is actually fitting more for me 'cause I love reading music and it gives such a big opportunity to read music. So I joined and I don't regret it at all and I just wish everybody could do it, you know, it's so fun. And I'm really grateful that we have this opportunity and it just, it brings us all together and gives us a lot of friendships, so yeah.
Xander:
I'm Xander. I got thrown in like two weeks after they got together. So they were already a family by then.
Anthony Godfrey:
So they adopted you, but how did you get in without an audition?
Xander:
Oh, there was an audition.
Anthony Godfrey:
Antonella said that they were even discouraging her from the audition. So there are some layers to getting in. How did you make it in after it started? I mean, I took classes because there was an empty seat, not because my talents brought me there. So tell me about how you got into the class after the family had formed.
Xander:
Well, they needed an extra guy and Keith during Madrigals was like, "We need an extra spot for Encore." And I didn't have a class during that period, so I'm like, "Might as well." So I auditioned and so did a couple of other people and I just got it apparently.
Anthony Godfrey:
Apparently, because you are here.
Xander:
I am here.
Anthony Godfrey:
A year has lapsed and you have been a participant throughout that year.
Xander:
Yes, and it was quite the experience. I didn't expect any of it. I'm not very good at making up music on my own. I usually go by the books and try to read the music and do my best on that.
Anthony Godfrey:
I'm best at making it up on my own because then there are no rules at all. So I haven't broken any rules. I've just made the music that I want to make.
Keith Evans:
No one can tell you you're wrong.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's right, that's exactly it. Now, tell me about a song that you have loved this year that you did not expect to or that you didn't know before you were a part of Encore.
Nate:
There was a song that we just kinda did at the beginning of the year, and it was called Lose Somebody by One Republic. We did this song for the last like two years.
Keith Evans:
Every year that Encore has existed, I wanted to do Lose Somebody by One Republic, and finally this year, we were up to snuff to be able to do it.
Nate:
And so it was probably the second day that we were in this class and we're like, we're gonna start creating it. No sheet music, no tracks, it hasn't been done before, we're just gonna do it. And so we started talking about parts and who's gonna sing what, and we just started doing it. And I was really skeptical of how this was gonna go because we just had created it on our own. And then we performed it at the first concert and people just loved it and I ended up just falling in love with that song. It was so much fun to sing. And I think for a lot of us, it was just one of our favorite songs, because it showed us how we could create something on our own and together as well.
Anthony Godfrey:
And it helps that every performance is an encore performance, and people seem to clap more loudly for an encore performance.
Keith Evan:
It's a subconscious little prodding to the audience, too.
Anthony Godfrey:
We're getting an encore performance right from the start.
Keith Evans:
That's right.
Anthony Godfrey:
This feels amazing. Okay, tell me about a song that you discovered through Encore.
Ellie:
Well, it wasn't really discovered, but my favorite that we did was probably Cruella De Vil. We started working at it in like September of last year, but we're like, "This is too hard. We're not gonna do it." But we all just loved it so much and we pushed so hard to like perform it, but like he didn't trust us, I guess.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now I'm sensing a lot of trust, but I'm sensing a high bar, a high standard. We are not going to massacre this song. We are going to do it justice.
Keith Evans:
Well, to clarify, so I was the faculty director of a performing ensemble at BYU for several years called Noteworthy, and this was one of their arrangements. So this was an arrangement that I had given to collegiate level, some who were literally music majors, right, and that had put together this really tricky jazz piece. And I said, "I wonder if we can do it in Encore, if we can take this collegiate piece and have the high schoolers do it." And it took a little bit of doing is all. You were able to get there and it sounded fantastic by the time we were able to get it. It just took a little bit longer. Jazz is more tonally complex and the chords and everything like that. So ultimately I was really proud of you guys for being able to take a piece that high schoolers shouldn't be able to do because it's meant for a much more advanced ensemble and you guys still did it.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's like the bumblebee flying. You can't explain how it works, but it works.
Keith Evans:
It does.
Anthony Godfrey:
All right.
Keith Evans:
It's a mystery.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about a song that you discovered or had a deeper appreciation for it because of Encore.
Antonella:
Honestly, I love all the songs, but when I first joined Encore, I actually thought it was gonna be more of a modern pop culture kind of songs. Just like, you know, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, you know. I was like, are we about to sing "Baby" by Justin Bieber?(laughs) But--
Keith Evans:
We would never sing "Baby" by Justin Bieber.
Antonella:
That's why I like this class. No, but one of the songs that I truly enjoyed was Autumn Leaves by– sung by Nat King Cole. And I am such a '50s girl. I am such an 'oldies. And I just-- I appreciated how all of us were able to just serenade with the melody. And all of us just– I could see all of the connection that we all had, the eye connection and everything. And I just felt so connected with that song.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's a great one.
Antonella:
Yes.
Anthony Godfrey:
Even Bob Dylan's version works for me. It probably doesn't work for you, but it works for me.
Keith Evans:
I actually didn't know Bob Dylan had covered that song. Now I'm interested in that.
Anthony Godfrey:
The melancholy, it's dripping with melancholy and regret. It's such a great song. You and I need to talk about more 50s songs Antonella. (laughing) Okay, tell me about your song.
Xander:
Cruella De Vil was really fun to me 'cause I got more into it 'cause I am a huge Disney fan and I grew up watching 101 Dalmatians and I loved that show so much. So it's more of like a mentality and a personal connection with that.
Anthony Godfrey:
What does it mean to have Mr. Evans as your choir director? What impact has he had on you?
Keith Evans:
Be kind. (laughing)
Nate:
I mean, in so many ways he's given me just like the love and drive to succeed in music that I hadn't really had before. He showed me as, and just being an example of somebody who was able to make music work for him as a career, and also just who just had a genuine love for it, and a desire to share it with other people, and just to make us the best that we could be as people. Not even just musicians and as singers, but as humans as well. And just, it's meant so much to have him, and just be a mentor and a guide, and just an inspiration to be just the best that I can be.
Ellie:
Yeah, he's made music fun, I guess, for me. Usually, it's so serious and competitive. And if you're not this great, then you can't do music. But it's just like, no matter what level you're at, you can still sing. You can still do whatever. And it can be fun. You don't have to make it so serious.
Antonella:
I definitely agree. I think he's put a balance in what we love most. And also just for those that want to just do it for fun as a habit or for people that actually want to do it professionally. He gives us the opportunity but still gives us fun. And honestly, I think he's definitely gave us a huge love for this, and especially for acapella, because a lot of high schools don't do acapella. So I'm just really grateful that we have a teacher that has come from a more professional background, especially BYU. And he's just brought it to us. And I think I'm so grateful for having that opportunity.
Xander:
He's pretty cool. Since he is young, he's more in tune of how we're aware of what we're going through.
Anthony Godfrey:
I mean, kind of like me. The young guys, we get it.
Keith Evans:
Yeah, absolutely. Which, again, it just means that I'll become less and less capable as a teacher, the older I get it.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, because you basically built in an expiration date for his effectiveness. But, you know for now, it seems like things are going great.
Keith Evans:
Yeah, it's fun here at West Jordan. I know that most of the kids that come into the choir program aren't planning to become professional musicians, right? They plan to do other things. They're here to have fun. And the two lessons that I hope to instill in my students is that you have more fun when you're good rather than just when you're goofing around, right? But that also you have more fun when you trust each other and trust yourselves. And that's, I think, one of the things that has made our program kind of make this shift in the last couple years toward more inclusivity, more broader range of genres. You heard we've got an opera singer and a musical theater and a more traditional, conventional guy. We can all still sing together because in the end it's just music.
Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back Encore performs and it is something you simply don't want to miss.
(upbeat music)
Break:
Hello, I'm Sandy Riesgraf, Director of Communications for Jordan School District, and we want to invite you to connect with us. So many exciting things are happening in your child's school, your neighbor's school, in every school here, every day. Don't miss out on following the fun or simply staying informed when there's important information we need to share. Join us at jordandistrict.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @jordandistrict. We can't wait to connect.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about how you came to choose this year's song and what resulted from that recording and that video.
Keith Evans:
Yeah, the way we chose this year's song, it was all kind of serendipitous. We go on tour every year and as part of that, we fundraise. And so in the fall, we had a fellow come to organize one of our fundraisers and just kind of by happenstance, he started talking about how his dad had had this dream of co-writing a song with Jason Mraz his whole life. Ever since he'd seen Jason Mraz as an up-and-coming artist, his dad had said, "I'm gonna write a song for that guy to sing." And that he'd spent 12 years kind of in the industry on the fringes trying to make this happen. And then finally, he was able to connect with Jason Mraz and he co-wrote "I Won't Give Up" which has gone six times platinum with Jason Moraz, like he was able to fulfill his dream.
And I said, "Oh, I won't give up, I love that." And we all started kind of like singing it and making it up on the piano as we went and it blew this guy's mind. And he said, "Oh, you've gotta put that in your show somewhere this year." And we said, "We will, and we'll let you know." And he said, "I will send it to Jason Mraz when you do."
And we followed through, we decided to make our music video this year in Encore was a mashup of "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz and "Hey Jude" by Paul McCartney. And once we'd made the music video, we sent it to Lennon Natter, who sent it to his father who had written the song, who lives now two doors down from Jason Mraz.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow.
Keith Evans:
The royalties allowed him to retire and build a house in the neighborhood that Jason Mraz lives in, they're neighbors now. So by that sort of like friend of a friend of a friend, we sent the link to, and it got into Jason Maraz's hands and he saw it. And according to the sign photo that he sent to us, he was impressed by it and he liked it. And it's just kind of cool to know that we put this thing together and the guy that originated it saw it, right? And to let him know, I mean he knows it's being covered by a million different artists, but to let my students know, you're now part of a bigger world. It's not just in the classroom, right? The education and what you're learning and what you're experiencing exist in a bigger sphere. And that was a cool thing, I hope, for you guys to experience.
Anthony Godfrey:
And it's a lesson in the impact that music can have.
Keith Evans:
Yes, absolutely. You never know who's gonna watch that music video and be like, "Man, I needed that today." And that sounds silly, but that's the responsibility you have as an artist, as a musician, is to put your best foot forward always, because you never know who's listening.
Anthony Godfrey:
Speaking of the photo, You've got it here. It's a big nice framed photo of Jason Mraz performing. Read what he wrote on there for us.
Keith Evans:
Yeah, so he wrote on the photo to Keith Evans and West Jordan High Choir. Let's take a deep breath together. Inhale. (exhales) And exhale. Thank you for your breathtaking performance. Keep singing. And then he signed it. As Lennon, the fellow whose dad worked with Jason on this song said, he's sort of a kind of a Bohemian fellow and so this inscription is very on brand for him apparently. But it's cool again to know that he's supportive of this. I'm sure once upon a time he was a kid in a high school band or choir saying, "I hope I make it one day."
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. I think it's fantastic and it's exciting. I'm envious of this interaction you've had with Jason Mraz or as I like to call him, Mr. A to Z.
Keith Evans:
Mr. A to Z, that's right. Is that his real last name?
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, it is.
Keith Evans:
It is? That's cool, man. It's like that's such a marketable last name.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, it is. I'll bring a link to the video in the show notes.
Keith Evans:
Cool.
Anthony Godfrey:
Watch for that. Click on it. It's a great video. Like it is every year. Like I said, I always look forward to it. Thank you so much for providing this rich learning experience that I'm sure these students will never forget. And thank you for putting your own personal twist on this music program. And thank you for the annual videos that I'll continue to look forward to and those are just the great performances coming out of this program. So thank you.
Keith Evans:
Thank you, Dr. Godfrey.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now here's a little clip from their music video.
Encore singing:
When I look into your eyes
It's like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
There's so much they hold
Just like them old stars
To see how you've come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?
And I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
Still looking up
Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.