Mara Noelle Walker (BM in Music Education, Lenoir-Rhyne University; MME in Choral Conducting, Florida State University) began teaching high school chorus in 2013 in NC and is now in her 4th year as choral director at Arlington High School. Her choirs regularly perform in community events, concerts, and state festivals. Her advanced ensemble recently traveled on a performance tour to Northern Italy and Switzerland and were selected to perform as a featured ensemble at the Massachusetts Music Educator Association (MMEA) Conference Contemporary Creators Festival.
As a conductor, Mara’s goal is to use music to unite people and inspire a lifelong love of music. She is passionate about performing diverse choral repertoire and achieving an artistic, stylistic sound using healthy vocal technique.
She is music director for the AHS production of Into the Woods this spring and has music directed The Who’s Tommy in 2022 and Amour in 2021.
In addition to her high school ensembles, Mara has also taught private voice, worked with church choirs, conducted voice and choral classes in an Italian arts program, and has performed as a soprano soloist in choirs, churches, sporting events, opera, musical theater, masterclasses, and with bands/orchestra.
As a conductor, Mara’s goal is to use music to unite people and inspire a lifelong love of music. She is passionate about performing diverse choral repertoire and achieving an artistic, stylistic sound using healthy vocal technique.
She is music director for the AHS production of Into the Woods this spring and has music directed The Who’s Tommy in 2022 and Amour in 2021.
In addition to her high school ensembles, Mara has also taught private voice, worked with church choirs, conducted voice and choral classes in an Italian arts program, and has performed as a soprano soloist in choirs, churches, sporting events, opera, musical theater, masterclasses, and with bands/orchestra.
Director Emeritus - Mary Louise Schecter
Mary Louise Schecter (BA Music Education, The College of Wooster; MFA in Voice Performance, Southern Illinois University) began choral conducting in 1971, at the beginning of her 34-year career as an elementary and middle school music teacher in the Weston Public Schools. Her goal throughout has been to foster the love of music, encourage enthusiastic participation, help choristers develop their singing voices, and encourage them to appreciate that cooperation produces the most gratifying results. Since retirement, Mary Louise has directed a number of adult and children's choruses in the greater Boston area. She is Founding Director and Accompanist for the MetroWest Performing Arts Center Children's Chorus; Director and Accompanist for Sangerchor Boston, a German-language adult chorus; and Accompanist for the Weston Public Schools Middle School Chorus. In addition, she was previously Director of the Dorchester House Neighborhood Chorus, Boston Children's Chorus (2006-2007); Creator and Director of the Middle School Boys' Chorus at the Rivers School in Weston (2005-2007); and Director (sabbatical leave replacement) of Middle and Upper School Choral Music at Milton Academy (Spring 2005).
