“The feeling of it, it’s almost a larger collective consciousness, all at once, towards the same purpose and the same emotional expression,” he said. “It still gives me chills. It’s what makes every concert for me a fantastic experience.”
But reaching those heights requires hard work, and during a weekday lunch rehearsal in the school’s choir room, he pushed Master Singers choir members to improve. Standing while playing piano and singing, he continued helping the ensemble jell for performances later this year — one bit of praise or instruction at a time.
“Tenors, get the timing down!”
“Choir 2 sopranos, nice job getting below the altos.”
“We really need that to be in a high key there.”
“Nice and easy. It’s about accuracy right now, not so much as expression”
“Work it altos, come on!”
It’s a deeply familiar setting for him, even though he’s only in his second year directing State High students standing on the risers. Once upon a time, he stood in the same spots.
Clayton found his love for choral music growing up in Park Forest and singing in school choirs through his 2000 graduation from State High. Moving over to Penn State, he earned an undergraduate music education degree specializing in choral music and a masters in piano performance while honing his conducting chops.
“I’m definitely a homegrown product,” he said.
He comes from a musical family on both sides; his mother, a singer, filled their home with piano tunes. But among his many influences, one stands out in particular. Retired State High choir director Bob Drafall started in Clayton’s freshman year, launching the Master Singers choir and inspiring one of his singers with demanding yet caring direction to follow in his footsteps.
“I owe 90 percent of my philosophy of how a choir should be to him,” Clayton said, noting that Drafall’s can-do spirit and optimism continue to shape his directing and teaching. “I can never hope to be as great at that as he was, but I do try to do that as much as I can.”
It was only fitting then that Clayton succeeded Drafall in 2015. He returned to his alma mater from stints in the Williamsport and Central Dauphin school districts, and brought a couple of key lessons learned to the job.
From his early teaching he discovered the importance of having student officers. Not only do they take some of the planning and administrative work off his shoulders, they also set a good example with their commitment and leadership for other students. To Clayton, the officer system helps promote a sense of “ownership” and unity within choirs.
“They understand that being part of the choir isn’t just a class,” he said. “It’s being part of an organization.”
Choir President Emily Kiver and Vice President Ellen Maple have embraced the philosophy. Maple said she views her role as “someone in a leadership position who others can approach and trust.”
“My actual job involves a lot of paperwork, planning and communication with the other officers, but being recognized as an officer in the Choral Department is a great way for people to know that they can contact me if they feel the need for help from someone who knows the department and the school well,” she said. “It is especially nice for the underclassmen to have a group of students that they can reach out to. I have been very involved with music in the district for a long time, and when Mr. Clayton created the officer system I thought I could offer a good amount of insight and connection with other students.”
Kiver sets out to be “of assistance in all areas, choirs and to Mr. Clayton.”
“I applied to become president because I shared his belief in the program and determination to improve it, and make it an even greater source of pride for the school,” she said.
In his directing, Clayton also has to come to believe deeply in the value of building camaraderie, in one kind of harmony leading to another. This fall saw his first annual “Choir Kick-Off” party, which Kiver noted “was a great success in getting kids that are involved in choir to interact, regardless of grade level or which choir they belonged to.”
“Positive feelings make anybody’s work better,” Clayton said. “If you feel you’ve had a good experience, if you know the person next to you better, it helps you make better music.”
So far this year, the approach seems to be working. After several summer rehearsals, the Master Singers performed Mozart’s “Requiem,” a complex and sophisticated piece, with the State College Choral Society for a Sept. 11 remembrance concert at Penn State.
“He has extremely high standards, which in turn pushes students to pursue the greatest music level possible,” Kiver said. “He teaches the importance of self-discipline and working hard when you have a goal.”
Both Kiver and Maple give Clayton high marks for his dedication to students outside rehearsals, for always being willing to hear concerns, share jokes and just be a friend at times.
“Mr. Clayton puts a lot of focus on being a strong community that has respect for each other,” Maple said. “I think stressing this idea alone creates an enjoyable experience, on top of Mr. Clayton’s friendly and outgoing personality. He cares a lot about students, and it can be seen in the quality of choir experiences at State High.”
Clayton said it all boils down to building trust and rapport with students as much as perfecting timing and expression.
“They know that if it’s ever a hard rehearsal and I’m being pretty demanding of my expectations of them, it has nothing to do with them as people,” he said. “That’s what I always just say: ‘Look, you all are wonderful people, and I really care about you, and I want you to be happy and healthy and feel good, but this is what the music demands of us. This is what you need to accomplish.’ ”
This is what it takes to attain the sublime, ‘the moment.’ Clayton needs to get back to it, but he can’t do it alone. He must lead the way.
“Choir is enjoyable because of the excitement that comes with achieving great things through hard work,” Kiver said.
“In rehearsal, I become enthralled by the beauty of the music we are singing and I am captivated by Mr. Clayton’s energy that stems from his love of music. This love of music is shared with us through his teaching of the history of the piece, the composer and his or her intentions, and the musicality which flows through the piece, and for this reason, choir is a truly joyful experience.”
