Music transcends languages, cultures, and even time. Dean Wolff, teacher, music instructor, and choir director at Hobart High School and Hobart Middle School, has spent almost 40 years teaching his students the value and beauty of this art form. Wolff also encourages his pupils to share the gift of music with their community. Thirty-six years ago, he founded the Hobart High School-based select vocal music group Wolffgang to do just that.
The primarily female traveling troupe of typically six to nine members performs a wide selection of music, including popular music stretching from the 1930s to the 1960s, Broadway songs, patriotic music, and several country songs.
In Wolff’s view, Wolffgang differs from the singing troupes found at other local schools for a number of reasons.
“I think we're in a niche that you won’t find at most schools in the area,” Wolff said. “A lot of schools in the Region, especially the bigger ones, have show choirs or madrigal groups, but I haven't heard of any other school having anything like Wolffgang. Our group can pack up, get on a bus, and go sing in a restaurant, a conference room, or even in a church for one of its organizations. Many school musical groups focus on educating people with their music. While our concerts do have an educational aspect, our primary focus is to remind our audiences of fond memories as we entertain them.”
Wolff established Wolffgang in 1988, his third year of teaching at Hobart High School. He wanted to create a group for students who were passionate about music and performing. One of the original members created the name “Wolffgang” and the title stuck, despite Wolff’s expectations. In its early years, the group primarily performed Broadway tunes and 80s pop songs like “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler. Several years later, Region-based musician Jim Dandy heard Wolffgang perform and invited them to sing at his 1950s-and-1960s-themed combination street dance and car show events. This led the group to add ‘50s and ‘60s music to their repertoire, a third of which was already dedicated to music from the 1930s and 1940s.
Over the years, Wolffgang has performed gigs, or “jobs” as the group’s members call them, all over the Region, including Portage, Merrillville, and Hammond. They have also gone beyond the Region to perform, traveling as far as Nashville and Fort Wayne, Indiana, and even Grand Rapids, Michigan, to share their music. They have performed at assisted living homes, community events, Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion posts, and at a Purdue University neurological convention in downtown Chicago. The group has also performed alongside the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, sung for the Chicago White Sox, and been featured on Chicago’s ABC Channel 7 Morning News several times.
Wolffgang performs during both the school year and the summer, averaging about 80 performances a year. Participating in Wolffgang helps students develop discipline, as they are required to attend the group’s two-hour rehearsals twice a week. They also need to ensure that they keep their grades up, as they will not be allowed to miss classes to perform if their academics decline. Wolff says that Wolffgang helps its members develop in other ways too.
“Members of Wolffgang get to practice working as a group and supporting one another,” Wolff said. “Wolffgang offers them a certain amount of confidence building as well. They’re constantly performing, so that helps them get comfortable with being in front of people. I've had former members come back and tell me that their time in Wolffgang prepared them for college speech classes and other similar situations. Many of these kids aren't used to standing up and facing an audience since they're usually the ones facing a speaker. Being a part of Wolffgang gives students a chance to experience what it’s like to have the attention on them instead.”
Wolff says that one of his favorite aspects of heading up Wolffgang has been working with his students at their weekly rehearsals. He looks back fondly on his time leading the troupe.
“It’s been great watching these kids learn and grow over the years,” Wolff said. “I’ve led Wolffgang for so long now that I've seen a couple of generations come and go. I am still amazed by the fact that kids of this day and age appreciate the music of the ‘50s and ‘60s. They connect with the songs when they see how much the audiences enjoy them. For instance, we started performing a medley of the Armed Forces anthems about 20 years ago. When we first started practicing it, the kids didn’t understand why we were adding it to our repertoire. However, when we first performed it for veterans groups and they saw those men stand up for their branches’ songs, they completely understood.”
Please visit k12.in.us/hhs for more information on Hobart High School’s enrollment options and education opportunities. Reach out to Dean Wolff at wolffclass@hobart.k12.in.us to learn how you can book Wolffgang for your next event.