May 21, 2013
Features
The Music Man: Keith Daniel Daniel has also collaborated with David R. Gammons, the Head of the Theatre Program, on four productions during their thir This summer, one of Concord Acad- teen years working together. Gammons said emy’s most beloved and influential figures, that these productions with Daniel “were all Performing Arts Department faculty member amazing experiences.” Gammons continued, Keith Daniel, is retiring after thirty-five years “The thing I love about Keith is that he is at the school. After joining the CA commu- so knowledgeable about musical theatre but nity in 1978 as a House Parent, Daniel began he is very adventuresome.” Gammons said teaching music at Concord in the fall of 1983. that one of his fondest memories was the fall Since then, Daniel has served as teacher, 2005 mainstage production Ubu 77, an adapDirector of the Music Program, and Head of tion of Alfred Jarry’s absurdist play Ubu Roi the Performing Arts Department. In recent intertwined with music from the year 1977. years, Daniel has focused on teaching courses Daniel worked with the band on “Anarchy in in music history and theory such as Advanced the UK,” a classic punk rock song. “To slip in Harmony. He also has directed the Chorus, to a band rehearsal and see Keith Daniel, who Chamber Choir, and shaped and directed the can conduct a Mozart requiem, conducting in music for mainstage productions, including this punk rock song just made me so happy to 2010’s Chicago and this year’s Much Ado think about how open-minded, creative and About Nothing. enthusiastic he is and Daniel said that, how much he embraces three decades ago, opportunities to work he was attracted to with different kinds of Concord because of music,” Gammons said. the “funkiness” of the Like other facschool. “Why I started ulty members at CA, teaching here was that Daniel has served as it is an academically an advisor for many of exciting and funky his years at the school. school. The students Not surprisingly, his and faculty here are instudent advisees are ofteresting people,” Danten musicians. Schuyler iel said. “The school Wheldon ’98, now a really champions the semi-professional musiarts, and that attracted cian pursuing a PhD in me to it and has kept musicology at Univerme here.” sity of California, Los Music Teacher Keith Daniel. Photo Angeles, was Daniel’s Looking back at courtesy of www.concordacademy.org his years at CA, Danstudent and advisee iel said that what he during his time at CA. has enjoyed most is the freedom given to both Reflecting on his relationship with Daniel, the students and the teachers. “They trust me Wheldon said, “Keith was undoubtedly the in the classroom,” Daniel said. “When they biggest teacherly influence on my life. It’s hired me and felt I could do my job, they left because of his classes and influence that I me alone to do my job, to design courses and continued to focus on music through college change courses as I wanted, and to pursue my and beyond.” Wheldon said that he has kept path as a teacher.” in touch with Daniel since he graduated. While at Concord, Daniel has imple- Daniel also commented on the significance mented and re-imagined courses including of building relationships between faculty and Music in Your Life, Great Composers, and students. “I value that relationship between American Pop Music. Along with Performing advisors and advisees. We form such close Arts Department Head Amy Spencer, Daniel relationships at this school, which I think is also created Musical Theatre Workshop, a another important part of CA,” Daniel said. class in which students study the greats of Daniel said that, while he is trying not to Broadway and the musical theatre genre. plan too many activities for next year, he is Daniel also assembled CA’s Chamber planning on going to New Zealand with his Choir and helped students design and es- wife next March. Besides travelling, he will tablish music groups, including The Cha- be teaching a course on The Beatles for an meleons, Pitches, and Concord Cabaret. adult education program at Concord-Carlisle Chamber Choir member Julia Sprague ’14 High School and will continue to work with reflected upon Daniel’s work with the chorus. his a capella group. He is also considering “I think [Keith] is able to do a lot of music [in auditioning for musical productions, going chorus that] he may not be able to do in other on a Sierra Club service trip, and volunteerclasses, [like] musicals, spiritual, gospel, and ing. “I love to garden. I love to read. And I classical,” Sprague said. “He makes jokes will listen to a lot of music,” Daniel said. and just brings us this excited energy.” “I’ll miss him,” Adams said. “There In addition to establishing these groups, won’t be another one like him, for a long Daniel has worked with the Music Program time, if ever.” Gammons added, “The way as a participant himself. He played tenor he empowers and inspires students with the saxophone and clarinet in the Jazz Ensemble love of music is the legacy that he will leave for a number of years and, this spring, he here.” rejoined the Ensemble to perform for the Daniel is beginning to say goodbye to school one last time. the community from which he will depart Performing Arts Department member at the end of May, and he has expressed his Ross Adams, who directs the Jazz Ensemble, gratitude to the CA community. “Thank you has worked with Daniel for thirty-one years. for supporting music all these years, and for “Keith has a tremendous understanding and giving me the chance to work with so many capacity to communicate everything that incredible colleagues and amazing young he knows,” Adams said. “He is incredibly people,” Daniel said. “I didn’t set out to be prepared for his lessons.” Adams said that a high school teacher. I thought I was going the connection that Daniel has formed with to be a college teacher, but working with the community is remarkable. “He is totally teenagers has been the most rewarding thing I connected to everybody in the school and could ever imagine doing. I am thankful that knows all about the students. For me, Keith I have made a difference in people’s lives, has been a constant presence here,” Adams and that I’ve done something that I think said. contributes to this world.”
by Teresa Dai ’14
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Danke Schön, Susan Adams teacher who also worked at St. Paul’s and was attending graduate school at Boston University, Adams moved to Boston. When the Concord Academy Class of The two soon married, and Adams began 2013 leaves at the end of May, so will Gerlooking for work near their home in Newton, man Teacher Susan Adams, who has taught MA. She looked everywhere from Rhode at CA for forty-one years. As German student Island to New Hampshire before finding a Sam Boswell ’13 said, “It’s really the end of job opening at Concord Academy. an era. It’s hard to replace someone who’s Adams said that when she arrived at done so many things for this school.” Concord in 1972, she only planned to stay Adams said that her interest in teaching at the school for a few years. Plans changed began when she was growing up in Lakewhen Adams’ husband struggled to find a wood, Ohio. The third of four daughters, job in his mathematical specialty, abstract Adams remembers enjoying coming home algebra, and, a year later, he joined her in from school and teaching her younger sister teaching at Concord. what she had learned in class. “I used to teach Adams has been at CA ever since. Over my little sister everything that I had learned,” the course of her time at CA, she said that Adams said. “I taught her many things before she has overseen significant changes in the she’d learned them in school.” Modern and Classical Language Depart Adams recalled that her interest in the ment. During her time at Concord, Chinese German language began in the mid-1960s, became a language offering, and the relative when one of her older sisters went to Switzerpopularity of French and Spanish shifted. land for an exchange program. Two years afAdams recalled that, when she arrived at ter her sister returned from the exchange, her the school, there were four French teachers family planned a trip to Europe to visit her and only one Spanish teacher. Now, there is host family. Adams’ parents encouraged the a nearly inverse relationship between the two. daughters to learn German for the trip. “My Additionally, Adams said that in the past, the parents decided we should learn German so department’s offerings focused more heavily as not to be the typical ‘ugly Americans,’” on literature, instead of having the emphasis Adams said. on language that it does today. Adams said Adams and her entire family enrolled in that she also feels proud that during her time a German program, but when Adams found as Head of the Language Department she the “hear and speak” Berlitz teaching style hired Latin Teacher Jamie Morris-Kliment ineffective, she went to her high school in and French Teacher Tonhu Hoang. November determined to enroll in a class Spanish Teacher and Modern and Clasand learn the sical Language language. “I Department Head promised to Adam Bailey do all the back said that, while homework over he has only been the Thanksgivat CA for a year, ing break and he recognizes the to babysit for integral role Ad[the teacher] ams has played at for free if he Concord. “Susan corrected that Adams is so much homework,” more than a teachAdams said. er,” Bailey said. “He let me into “Susan Adams is the class.” an institution here Adams at Concord Acadsaid that, when emy.” the family trav German student eled to Switzerand Adams’ adland in the sumvisee Kelsey Mcmer of 1965, Dermott ’13 also she used her voiced her apprenewly acquired ciation. “She’s allanguage skills ways really anito help her Departing German Teacher Susan Adams. mated in class,” family commuPhoto courtesy of Susan Adams McDermott said. nicate. “I found “She’s super pasmy calling,” Adsionate about the ams said. Upon her return to high school, German language and teaching in general, Adams moved from German I during her and I think that’s why she’s been able to do junior year directly to the German IV class it so well for forty-one years.” for her senior year. Susan Adams said that she will miss After graduating from high school, “virtually everything” about Concord when Adams attended Smith College, where she she leaves. “I will miss the daily contact majored in Music. Although she did not with students,” Adams said. “I like seeing major in German, Adams said that she took when kids understand something, [and] I German courses during every semester of like helping kids find out how exciting it is college and spent her junior year studying to communicate in another language.” With abroad in Hamburg, Germany. her husband, who retired from Concord two Adams had her first experience teaching years ago, Adams plans to travel to Germany German during her senior year at Smith when and the Netherlands; and she has a grandson she taught German at a high school in Flor- due to arrive this summer, and her son’s ence, MA for four months. Upon receiving wedding on the horizon. Adams said that, her undergraduate diploma, Adams continued while she will no longer be in the classroom teaching German, this time at a summer pro- everyday, she will not be idle. gram at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New “I’m going to miss her. We’re all going Hampshire. After one summer at St. Paul’s, to miss her,” Boswell said. “When I think Adams went to Cornell University to pursue about my time at CA, I think about my Gerher Master’s in German Literature. After man classes.” meeting her future husband, Bill Adams, a
by Harry Breault ’16