by Annie Carlson

On January 11th, 2026, Memorial held a concert to celebrate the completion of renovations to the auditorium and music facilities. The “New Sounds in a New Home” concert featured performances from groups in Band, Orchestra, and Choir, as well as a combined performance with all three. The renovation in the auditorium includes improvements to the lighting and sound systems, seating, and stage. Some of the most impactful changes, however, were to the music classrooms.

“Although there has always been an Orchestra class at Memorial High School, there has never been a dedicated space for orchestra. We were very over-crowded, sharing a room with the Jazz Band, and we are all thrilled to have space for the orchestra students,” says Mem-orial Orchestra Director Soma Pierce-Smit. It is so important for both Jazz Band and Orchestra to have their own spaces for rehearsal and storage.

Harpist Parker Hudson says, “The harp goes out of tune less often, and the space is a lot better to practice in. The [previous] room wasn’t a consistent temperature, so it would go out of tune fast.”

“Orchestra students now have practice rooms and enough space in our main room, so students don’t risk harming their instruments when moving around. Also, we have a humidity-controlled room for our instruments. This will really make an impact on our instrument repairs,” adds Mrs. Pierce.

“The process of the re-model went really fast, so sometimes it was hard to keep up with details being decided, but… we are so very grateful for the care that was put into our area by the administration, custodial staff and ECASD Buildings and Grounds. As far as advocating for Orchestra, we were so encouraged by the school board’s willingness to consider the needs of the orchestra…”

The dedicated space for Orchestra is something that was desperately needed here at Memorial. But Band also benefited greatly from moving down the hall. There is now also a separate room for Jazz band, as well as much better storage for instruments, and a beautiful new Wind Ensemble room to rehearse in. There is finally enough space for everyone to breathe. New pianos also came to music programs, which can be used for independent practicing or group rehearsal, and are especially important for Memorial Choirs. Vocal chords, after all, do not come with a built-in A# key.

At the New Sounds in a New Home concert, Superintendent Mike Johnson made a short speech, in which he said the following: “Thanks for your support… I’d like to thank our Memorial Buildings and Grounds staff as well as our District Buildings and Grounds staff… Our school board and our entire community for identifying the needs here at Memorial and supporting those financially… What a difference and what an opportunity for our students and our staff, and for all of you in the community to enjoy. I’d like to share my appreciation with the families, students, and staff for their patience with this project in the music and library areas… I’m so proud to be part of a school district where our students are able to perform in such a venue, our staff [are] able to utilize this space as a great learning environment, and our school and greater community [are able to] to enjoy this as well. So thank you very much…”

Mrs. Pierce sums it up well, saying, “[i]t is inspiring to perform in beautiful spaces, and this one happens to be ours!”