At the age of four, senior Jack Rahija picked up drumsticks for the first time, which has since led him to a life unimaginable without music. His passion for drums, guitar, piano, trombone, and singing has led to his participation in many musical activities at South.
This year, Rahija was involved in eight onstage V-Show acts, and for three of them, Rahija auditioned as part of choral groups such as Chamber Singers, Fusion, and Scat That, he added. Additionally, Rahija played trombone in the Pit Band.
Outside of V-Show, Rahija plays in the musical Pit Band, Marching Band, Pep Band, Jazz Band, trombone in the Glenbrook Symphony Orchestra (GSO), drums for Scat That, and sings for Master Singers and Nine, a subset of nine tenors and basses, among other musical groups. Often spending hours after school at multiple rehearsals, Rahija navigates his commitments by immersing himself fully into whichever rehearsal he is in.
“It never feels like, ‘Oh my god, six hours went by at rehearsals,’” Rahija said. “I feel like time’s very relative and it stops when I’m in rehearsals or doing music stuff.”
After school ends, Rahija hones his digital production skills and performs musical gigs with his friends, Rahija explained. He makes music whenever he can, using every opportunity to write, record, and upload original songs on online streaming services like Spotify, he added.
“I had to write a research paper for college about blues and gospel music, but it didn’t even feel like a chore because music’s just what I love,” Rahija said.
Junior David Cha works alongside Rahija in many musical groups, including Marching Band, GSO, and various V-Show acts such as “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Living la Vida Loca”, Cha said.
“He is energized, hardworking, and he always brings a lot to each group,” Cha said.
During rehearsals, Rahija stands out for his reliability and commitment to fully dive into his work, Choral Director Robert Shellard said. Knowing how to effectively run a rehearsal demonstrates Rahija’s leadership skills. In Nine, Rahija often suggests ways to improve the group’s sound, Shellard said.
“Rahija’s ideas make the group stronger in a way that isn’t distracting or destructive to the group, but instead productive and efficient,” Shellard said. “Rahija is able to take small pieces of the music and morph them into a larger, better picture.”
After spending four years at South, Rahija has been grateful for the connections and memories he has built through his musical experiences.
“Not only does V-Show bring amazing musical fusions, which I love to perform, but also great friendship fusions, and I think that’s something very precious,” Rahija said.