Philanthropy

KNOWLEDGE & GOODNESS: THE ANDOVER CAMPAIGN

Making Music at Andover

A Dynamic New Building Is on the Horizon

BY ABBEY SIEGFRIED

Chair, Department of Music, and School Organist

Each fall, I have our choral students form a circle around the classroom and sing. It’s one of the first things we do as a group, and when I began teaching at Phillips Academy I had to explain the exercise. Now our Circle Song is a beloved tradition, something my student leaders have wonderfully taken over. Across the ring they sing to one another, particularly addressing new students: “You are enough, exactly as you are.” For me, to have that moment of them all looking at one another—to see and hear the students singing to each other instead of it coming from me as their teacher—is one of the most beautiful things. That’s what music can do at Andover, what it’s always done at Andover—profoundly bring us together.

The promise of experiences like that is what drew me to Phillips Academy in the first place. I came to Andover in 2011 and immediately fell in love with the school’s dedication to music as an integral part of the curriculum. Every single student is exposed to music in some way during their time here, which is incredible.

That commitment makes PA different from a lot of our peer schools. For a school today to make music a part of its core curriculum—to say that kids should take an art, music, or theatre class—is unique. A student can come here without having played an instrument or sung in a choir. And with encouragement and

The new music building will be located on Phillips Street, adjacent to the Peabody Institute.

“Music education is so vital because learning how music is made and why it’s made is to have a deeper understanding of what it means to simply be human.”

training, they’re either writing a song, doing a film composition, or playing in an ensemble or rock band—it’s amazing. I wish I had gone to a school like this! It makes me so proud to teach here.

Music is something that all humans experience. It’s innate. We dance, we sing, we partake of melody and rhythm no matter where we’re from in the world. Music education is so vital because learning how music is made and why it’s made is to have a deeper understanding of what it means to simply be human. And what it is to exist in this world, be connected to people, and discover some of life’s shared moments.

For our students, music is also an avenue of self-expression and belonging. I often hear students talk about how songs change for them throughout their time at Andover, how lyrics can deepen in meaning. It’s astounding. They refer to the music program as home, whether they’re playing with the orchestra, practicing instruments in a tiny room in Graves Hall basement, or singing remotely to one another across time zones on Zoom. It’s always home for them because music is there. Music is something that connects us in that way.

Now, with support from our Knowledge & Goodness campaign, plans are underway for a new music building with recording studios, electronic music labs, and more space for practice, performance, and collaboration. It will be the first new academic building on campus in nearly 20 years! Our current space in Graves Hall—originally constructed for

Students benefit from a wide spectrum of music programming throughout their Andover education.

BY THE NUMBERS

30,000 ft2 purpose-built structure on two floors

3 flexible ensemble spaces

250-seat performance hall

3 state-of-the-art classrooms

19 practice rooms

2 technology labs, plus electronic music studio and “Rock Room” with recording and broadcast capabilities

8,500+ recordings and digital databases in music library

science in 1882—is cramped, outdated, and unable to offer the adequate room and technology so many of our students crave and deserve. In a new building, we’ll be able to make music together, teach, and learn in much more creative and forward-thinking ways, and that’s so exciting. It’s wonderful to see early alumni and parent support for this project, but so much more is needed. And I know that without their investments, it cannot become a reality.

What I love most is that the building doesn’t just say to our high-flying music students, here’s this beautiful place. It says to everyone that music education is a key value of our school. This will be a space where kids feel known and welcome, one of their places at Andover. If Graves can be their home, and the cloister of Cochran Chapel can be their home, and these students are this imaginative and vibrant now, think about what it will be like when there’s a new building! It will be the most amazing gift—a new home in which to connect and celebrate with one another, through music. 