Classroom Happenings: Joining Voices

Middle/Upper School Chorus Teacher Heidi Taylor and Upper School Teacher Scottie O’Neill teamed up recently to give choral students an unusual opportunity: to share their voices on an alternative-rock album!

Ms. O’Neill’s husband, Brandon O’Neill, is the lead singer and a musician for Wine and Warpaint, a Richmond-based alternative-rock band. In early spring, the 42 members of the Upper School chorus met Mr. O’Neill and his bandmate, Taylor Bess, on campus to record a track for a song called “I Still Care.” The chorus spent several weeks beforehand rehearsing. 

Mrs. Taylor said, “The song is about always feeling behind in trying to accomplish your dreams. The lyrics that we sang were ‘falling behind, but pushing ahead … too old to win but too young to quit.’” She added, “My students were a little apprehensive in the beginning because they didn’t know exactly what to expect, but Brandon and Taylor put them at ease.” 

Kaylee Morgan ’27 was excited to sing alongside the band. “When Mrs. Taylor showed us the song in class, I immediately loved it,” said Kaylee, who joined the chorus as a sixth grader. “‘I Still Care’ resonated with me; I love its message.” On May 19 at Steward, Wine and Warpaint will join the Upper School chorus for its annual spring concert, “something my students are really looking forward to!” said Mrs. Taylor. 

Steward’s core values of individuality and inspiration are something to sing about when it comes to life as a choral member. These talented Spartans perform at Steward events such as graduation and convocation, and they have competed in competitions at Busch Gardens, Kings Dominion, and Universal Studios … plus, they’ve twice been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall! 

Kaylee shared, “I love that Mrs. Taylor gives us different genres and types of music to sing, so we are always working on something different. We sing foreign-language pieces, songs from movies and musicals, old songs, and new songs. One song that I am super excited to sing is ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ which we are currently working on in class!”

Kaylee and her fellow choral member, Juliet Forlano ’28, share a deep love of singing and both participated in internships at Spacebomb Studio during Minimester 2026. Steward’s 2025-26 Visiting Innovator-in-Residence, Matt White, is the founder and co-owner of Spacebomb. 

Kaylee said, “During the internship, Juliet and I collaborated to write a song and then recorded it together. We also wrote and recorded melodies for audio samples given to us by Mr. White. I learned a lot about writing music, producing music, and the music industry.” 

Mrs. Taylor shared that “I Still Care” will be released sometime this summer, and the full album is slated for a fall release. 

“I think the fact that Brandon is Scottie’s husband made this collaboration a special connection within our community,” she said. “And I’m excited to think that when my students hear the finished song, they’ll remember the experience and the chance they had to collaborate.”