Students learn from music program’s
Musicians in Residence
T
he Pennington School welcomed the musicians of the Akropolis Reed Quintet as the music program’s 2019–20 Musicians in Residence. The group spent three days on Pennington’s campus, working with the School’s woodwind musicians and music classes. The Quintet is composed of Kari Landry, clarinet; Andrew Koeppe, bass clarinet; Ryan Reynolds, bassoon; Matt Landry, saxophone; and Tim Gocklin, oboe. The group worked one-on-one with the students in addition to visiting Pennington’s classes in Music Technology, AP Music Theory, Rhythm of the Sacred, and Music Composition. In some classes, the Quintet performed some of their favorite pieces, taught students about composers, and answered questions about the process they go through to select music. In others, the group played students’ own compositions and helped them learn to control their pitch when playing their instruments. To end their visit at the School, the Akropolis Reed Quintet performed a concert for the Pennington community on Friday, October 25, with selections from Jean-Philippe Rameau, Stacy Garrop, Jeff Scott, and George Gershwin. The residencies continue to be funded by a generous parent donor. Arts Department Chair Dolores Eaton said, “We are grateful that our students and the community can benefit from the presence of these high-caliber musicians on our campus!”
38
Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2019–20
