“Waves are coming in. Waves are coming in. Waves are coming in. Waves are coming in.” This chant is repeated over and over in Parker’s choir room until a hand gesture moves the group to the next section. 

The gesturing hand belongs to Justin de la Cruz, who is filling the seat of Emma Castaldi, Upper School Choir Director, on a leave of absence for the school year. He assumed this role and began teaching in early September, almost three months ago.

De la Cruz graduated from DePaul University in March with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education with a concentration in jazz voice. Since his sophomore year of college, de la Cruz has taught private piano, voice, and guitar lessons and has worked as a camp director over the summers. Currently, he is a vocal jazz assistant director at Oak Park and River Forest High School, but teaching at Parker has been his first full-time job. “This is my first go around as a choir director, and I am absolutely loving it,” de la Cruz said. 

In high school, de la Cruz participated in his high school and Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) choirs. Participating in choir made him realize that he wanted to participate in choir for the rest of his life. In his sophomore year of high school, de la Cruz auditioned for the ILMEA district choir. He didn’t get in that year, but when he auditioned again as a junior, he got in and eventually made it to the state-level choir. 

He explained that, for him, it was a great experience. “I was around so many people that truly loved what they did and the music that was made,” de la Cruz said.

With the guidance of de la Cruz, junior Wren Dudney recently qualified to sing in the ILMEA Chicagoland district choir. “The audition process was a lot of work. She had to sing scales, triads, and learn sections of three pieces,” de la Cruz said. Although he wasn’t allowed to help Dudney with the recording process of the audition, de la Cruz supplied her with practice tracks and helped her know what to prepare. “It was a very challenging process because it’s a lot of music, but it was really awesome to have a mentor,” Dudney said.

Middle School Choir Director Robert Denien attended the sample lesson led by de la Cruz at the end of last school year. He described how every candidate was the same in terms of their ability to teach music, but what set de la Cruz apart from the rest was that he was “one of the few candidates who very quickly connected with the students,” Denien said. 

“That’s because he’s younger and can understand what we want, especially in a choral space where a lot of structure won’t work for kids because they opt into singing,” Grape Jam senior Rania Jones remarked. De la Cruz very quickly became fond of teaching at Parker. “Once I was in front of the community and the students in choir here, it just felt so right,” he said.

For a few weeks over the summer, de la Cruz and Denien attended a voice conference in Pittsburgh where they got to know each other and “got on the same page about how we want to teach and talk about the voice,” Denien said.

Once the school year started, Denien noticed the unique way de la Cruz teaches choir. He explained that de la Cruz brings an understanding of genres such as R&B, jazz, gospel, and pop, which  are not represented as much in choirs. “That, I would say, is his biggest mark on the program–getting that music going and doing it in a way that is authentic to the style and the people who created it,” Denien said. 

Dudney also appreciates the music and how de la Cruz selects it. “He really goes above and beyond to make sure that all of the students are doing music that they love and enjoy,” Dudney said. Jones notes that during choir, “there’s a good balance between structure and letting us experiment with the music by ourselves.” 

Both Jones and Dudney described a certain “vibe” and “good energy” that de la Cruz has, making for a lively classroom environment. “He has so much energy and he’s so generally happy to teach, and loves the kids,” Denien said.

Looking forward to the rest of the year, de la Cruz hopes to inspire more people to join the choir program, get students involved in ILMEA, and give students exposure to the world of music outside of Parker.

Reflecting on his first few months as Upper School Choir Director, de la Cruz has genuinely enjoyed working at Parker and with its students. “I count my blessings every day, realizing that my first job out of college is at a school like Parker. I never take any moment for granted here,” he said.

Dudney also appreciates the music and how de la Cruz selects it. “He really goes above and beyond to make sure that all of the students are doing music that they love and enjoy,” Dudney said. Jones notes that during choir, “there’s a good balance between structure and letting us experiment with the music by ourselves.” 

Both Jones and Dudney described a certain “vibe” and “good energy” that de la Cruz has, making for a lively classroom environment. “He has so much energy and he’s so generally happy to teach, and loves the kids,” Denien said.

Looking forward to the rest of the year, de la Cruz hopes to inspire more people to join the choir program, get students involved in ILMEA, and give students exposure to the world of music outside of Parker.

Reflecting on his first few months as Upper School Choir Director, de la Cruz has genuinely enjoyed working at Parker and with its students. “I count my blessings every day, realizing that my first job out of college is at a school like Parker. I never take any moment for granted here,” he said.