Guest Conductor Antoine T. Clark Brings Fresh Ears and Higher Expectations to Longfellow Bands

On November 21, the band room at Longfellow Middle School sounded a little bit different, not because the students had new instruments, but because they had a new set of ears in the room.

Award-winning conductor and educator Antoine T. Clark spent the day working with multiple class periods and Longfellow bands, rehearsing side by side with students and helping them develop stronger habits and a more confident sound. Clark is the founding Artistic and Music Director of the Worthington Chamber Orchestra and his work is rooted in both performance and music education.

For Longfellow Band Director Angelo Kortyka, the value of a guest conductor is simple: students respond to a new voice differently, even when the message is the same.

“I can tell my students to do the same thing over and over again,” he said. “And they start to tune it out. But then the guest conductor will come in and say the same thing, and all of a sudden it’s this great new idea.”

Working with a guest conductor is about building habits that students can carry into every rehearsal. It can reinforce fundamentals with fresh language that lands differently, raise the level of expectation in a way that feels exciting instead of routine, connect classroom music to the wider world of performing and learning and help students hear details they may have been missing, like tuning, blend, balance and dynamics. Kortyka said he sees students rise to meet that outside expectation.

“Our students step up to the level of expectation that these people have, and it shows them that people outside of our buildings care about what we’re doing,” he said.

That is Progress. Not just in how a single piece sounds by the end of a class period, but in how students start to take ownership of the details that make music believable.

During Clark’s visit, Kortyka picked up various instruments and joined in so students could experience him as a band member, not only as the person on the podium. That small shift can change the room. Students get to watch leadership happen from inside the ensemble, where listening, breathing and timing are shared responsibilities.

Another advantage of bringing in working professionals is the way it expands students’ sense of what music can be. It makes the band room feel connected to something bigger than a grade, a concert or a single school year.

“This is a language that is spoken worldwide, and it helps students see that connection,” Kortyka said. “To see that there are people that are professionals focusing on these things. And it’s not just us.”

That perspective matters for every student, whether they dream of a music career or simply want to be great at something that takes time, focus and teamwork.

Clark’s visit came through a partnership with the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra, also known as NOYO. Based in Oberlin, NOYO has served young musicians across northern Ohio since 1969 and focuses on high-quality music education in an inclusive community of learning and growth.

Across Lorain City Schools, music programs continue to build momentum year after year. More students are choosing to stay with an instrument, ensembles are growing stronger as they move up through the grades, and opportunities like this help that growth turn into real skill.