{"id":41254,"date":"2022-04-09T23:46:15","date_gmt":"2022-04-10T05:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/m-chs-clappe-looks-to-inspire-future-fine-arts-performers\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:59:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:59:50","slug":"m-chs-clappe-looks-to-inspire-future-fine-arts-performers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/m-chs-clappe-looks-to-inspire-future-fine-arts-performers\/","title":{"rendered":"M-CHS\u2019 Clappe looks to inspire future fine arts performers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Montezuma-Cortez
Montezuma-Cortez High School senior Zayne Clappe is joined by family, teachers, and friends as he signs his letter of intent to go to Colorado State University to join their Music Education program. (Courtesy photo
\n)<\/span>Courtesy photo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

The passion for music has been a part of Zayne Clappe\u2019s life since he was just a child. Now, he wants to share that same excitement with future generations.<\/p>\n

The Montezuma-Cortez High School senior earned admission into Colorado State University\u2019s music education program, where Clappe will learn to share his fine arts acumen with other aspiring musical talents.<\/p>\n

Over his four years at M-CHS, Clappe landed a number of high-level distinctions among his various disciplines, notably being named to the Colorado All-State Choir.<\/p>\n

While Clappe\u2019s love for music and theater was fueled by countless sources over the course of his formative years, he credits his grandfather for guiding him in the direction. \u201cHe\u2019s always been a big supporter in everything that I\u2019ve wanted to be,\u201d reflected Clappe of his mentor.<\/p>\n

Under the guidance of band director Alex Mohr and Clappe as the drum major, the Panthers claimed second place in the Western Slope regional competition, and advanced to perform in the CSU-Pueblo Thunderbowl in the State Championships. Playing their production \u201cPortrait of the Motherland,\u201d the Panthers captured seventh place overall with a season-best performance.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s not the places and the trophies that Clappe will remember most fondly. \u201cI\u2019ve enjoyed the family that music provides,\u201d said Clappe of his experience at M-CHS. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing like going on trips together and developing those bonds with one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of my teachers have given me the resources to help me grow as a musician,\u201d added Clappe, \u201cand they\u2019ve been there for every question I\u2019ve had to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

The M-CHS senior also made his mark on the Ralph Vavak Auditorium floor, providing leadership and laughter for his fellow thespians and theatergoers alike. Clappe performed as the male lead, playing Bert from Mary Poppins, triumphantly bringing back live theater to M-CHS after postponements and cancellations hindered previous years of Panther performances.<\/p>\n

Even though his sophomore role as Lazar Wolf in Fiddler on the Roof<\/em> came to a crashing halt right at the onset of the pandemic, Clappe looks back on that production as one of his favorites. \u201cI\u2019m not sure if that experience would have been any different if it hadn\u2019t gotten canceled,\u201d said Clappe. \u201cThat group of performers continues to be some of my best friends, and the fun we had putting that performance together \u2013 there\u2019s nothing to top it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea that music and theater is fraught with imperfection is something that Clappe not only embraces, but also encourages others to enjoy as well. \u201cIt\u2019s OK to enjoy something and not be the best at it,\u201d said Clappe. \u201cThe fine arts are so important to enjoy for the sake of doing them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clappe joins a quartet of M-CHS seniors to earn an Empire Electric Association scholarship, as he gets set to head to Fort Collins. The Colorado State University Music Education program earned high marks, helping prep prospective music educators for careers in primary and secondary schools.<\/p>\n

The idea of passing along his love for music is something that excites Clappe. \u201cI would love to be able to teach instrumental music on a high school level,\u201d said Clappe, \u201cIt\u2019s been one of my ambitions since middle school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs much as music has impacted my life, and for as many people who have influenced my love of music \u2013 I want to be that person for others.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Panthers drum major to pursue music education at Colorado State University<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,36,559,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-41254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-montezuma-cortez-high-school","tag-music","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41254"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84905,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41254\/revisions\/84905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41254"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=41254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}