Crescencia Maurer
Scarborough schools are known for their powerhouse sports and strong academics. Less well known is the quiet but powerful renaissance of a music program: the choral arts. This program was severely impacted by the pandemic due to prohibitions against vocal groups practicing and performing. The high school’s chorus dwindled to 17 and the middle school’s after-school chorus stopped meeting.
Things began to change with the hiring of a full-time high school choral director in 2020. Jeff Mosher, a graduate of the University of Southern Maine (USM) Osher School of Music, has brought passion to his job and revived the choral curriculum. Under his tenure, opportunities for Scarborough High School (SHS) students to showcase and compete in the vocal arts have grown dramatically.
This school year, 38 SHS students auditioned and participated in the Maine Music Educators’ Association (MMEA) District 1 honor chorus, which includes schools from across Southern Maine. Ten students represented SHS at the American Choral Directors’ Association (ACDA) Northeastern conference in February and 15 students will attend All-State in May. In 2025, for the first time ever, an SHS student, Kai Edgerley, was invited to join the ACDA National Honor Choir. Kai travelled to Dallas, Texas last March to perform.
Recently, a group of students reflected on the many opportunities they’ve enjoyed as part of the chorus. Senior Grace Cummings said the ACDA conference “allowed me to meet my choral hero and gave me a chance to sing at a level beyond anything I dreamed of.” Another student, Magdalena Goebl-Shupp, expressed awe at “the doors that have opened” for her, including the opportunity to work with USM Artist in Residence Jennifer Lucy Cook. Caroline Lorello and Kai Edgerley spoke about the SHS program as “a gateway to excellence” that opened their eyes to the strength of college-level music programs in Maine. All four are seriously considering careers in music or music education.
SHS choirs also perform in the community. They have gone Christmas caroling at Scarborough Town Hall and local retirement and nursing homes, and performed with the Maine State Ballet, singing the snowflake scene in The Nutcracker.
These developments at the high school have spilled over to Scarborough Middle School (SMS). In 2021, Mr. Mosher added an 8th grade choral class to his workload. The following year, he added a 7th grade class. Each year, the numbers grew. This led the district to hire another passionate music educator, Matt LaBerge, in 2024. He is a part-time instructor who also works for the Portland Symphony Orchestra, where he directs the children’s chorus and narrates their youth and family programs. Mr. LaBerge began a 6th grade choir and the numbers rose further. In total, he now teaches 129 enthusiastic middle-school students. Under Mr. LaBerge’s direction, SMS students have been selected to perform at the MMEA District 1 Middle School Honor Chorus for the first time in over two decades.
With an eye to showcasing all this talent and increasing interest, Mr. Mosher, Mr. LaBerge, and primary school teachers organized an All-Town Choral Concert, featuring performances from 2nd to 12th graders. March 2026 marks the fourth year of this event.
The love of song and performance is flourishing throughout Scarborough school district. We thank and celebrate the educators who have sparked such inspiration among our students.
Crescencia Maurer is a member of the Scarborough Board of Education.
Top photo: Jeff Mosher with one of the SHS choruses. Photo courtesy of Scarborough School Board.
