As I enter the recording studio's main entrance, I am greeted by a closed lobby and two insulated, soundproof doors. I choose the door to my right, the control room door, in case recording is in progress. Inside, Music Director and Instrumental Ensemble Instructor Garrett Gleason and three students are completely absorbed in their work. In the brightly lit room, they are clustered around a workstation and silver mixing console. On the other side of the control room window, a student sits perched on a stool, headphones in place, with the microphone carefully positioned to capture the acoustic guitar. On this cloudy morning, the studio's dimmed lighting and the muted tones of the curtains and acoustic panels seem to heighten the focused atmosphere.
After each take, Garrett provides constructive feedback through the talkback channel. His voice signals both encouragement and technical precision as he guides the student through the nuances of string tension and finger positioning. "I need you to really have gusto and strength with the left hand so that none of the strings have that buzzing, frayed sound. Does that make sense?" When they are satisfied with the take, the student musician joins the others in the control room. While the first three-quarters of the term in Instrumental Ensemble focus on skill development and performance, these final weeks have shifted to recording and production. They gather to hear their work – first in isolation, then layered together with other tracks as the recording takes shape. Teacher and students dive into discussions of stereo separation and audio engineering, experimenting in real time. "Close your eyes and listen, as if you're in the center seat of the audience with two performers on the far ends of the stage..." They explore how their recording will translate from studio monitors to everyday listening devices – wireless earbuds or even a smartphone speaker.
The arts – in this case, music – are both a means and a medium of self-discovery and self-expression. While music creation can be an extremely personal endeavor, this recent scene illustrates its inherently collaborative nature – one student performing while others engineer, each playing their essential role in crafting a finished piece. Through class blocks, evening rehearsals, and public performances, students discover a community that shares their passion, faculty members who push them, and they are surrounded by peers who celebrate their accomplishments. For some, this recording studio represents a creative break in their academic day. For others, it evolves into a true passion. For others, it becomes something even more – a calling they may pursue beyond Proctor.
Following my visit to the studio, I sat down with Garrett to hear his reflections on this fall's accomplishments in music and his vision for Proctor's music program going forward.
It seems like you are trying to elevate the profile of the music program within the Proctor community (Open Mics are one example). Is this accurate?
Garrett Gleason: Having a regular performance opportunity for students that isn't tied to the programming of a course or ensemble is key. It allows students who are already practicing in the arts to perform exactly what they'd like to perform while getting regular practice performing to crowds and exposure within the community. It also provides students who may have always been curious about performing or tapping into the arts the opportunity to see peers get up on stage and do something they care about. These sorts of opportunities benefitted me immensely as a student. Now, as the person overseeing them, I see how valuable they are for the individuals who walk away with an impression similar to, "Woah, So-and-So plays the guitar? They just did it in front of the school and had a blast, and I've always been curious about trying it…"
Because these performances can be embraced with more "off-the-cuff-ness" than other highly organized student concerts for performers and audience alike, having each open mic in a different location accomplishes two things. First, it attempts to prevent the cheapening of the event or any venue in the minds of the performer or the audience ("Oh, they are just playing at x location again" versus many different spaces). Second, it creates distinct memories for each performance, and it could possibly provide performers the opportunity to become more comfortable performing in different spaces.
What is your vision for the music program at Proctor?
Overall, the musicians should be given the coolest opportunities I can provide for them, and the non-musicians should feel how cool it is to support live music happening by their peers. For that to work, the music needs to meet where the community is as music fans while pushing the musicians to be the most articulate musicians they can be. This means holding students to standards that "traditional" music programs may hold (sheet music, rehearsing with attention to detail) while exploring modern music that meets the community's interests. In this pursuit, I encourage the musicians to figure out how they best learn music and lean into those methods.
Within the program, I want to equip them with the tools necessary to navigate the modern world of music. For musicians, this means learning and gaining experience in what it means to be both a performing musician and a studio musician. Now more than ever, the stage and the recording are two entirely different mediums. When practiced musicians leave this school, I want them to understand what it means to prepare music personally, practice it with other individuals, perform it in social contexts, and understand how to navigate the nerves and emotions that come with those parts of the journey. Similarly, if they wish to produce music of their own or be a musician that helps others produce music, they need to understand the tools needed to bring those ideas from nothing to a full-fledged song, and they need to navigate the different set of emotions and nerves that come with that versus the stage.
What are the benefits of a thriving music program for individual students and the community as a whole?
The process of preparing and sharing music in the many ways one does in a music program helps the individual become a more confident person. When performing music, people engage the part of the brain that directly affects public speaking and speaking with new people. When practicing music, the slow process of acquiring new skills and overcoming obstacles gives individuals the opportunity to see how their sounds or ideas reflect and resemble the music they love, and that creates deep pride in what they're doing and drive to accomplish more.
There's a saying that goes something like, "It isn't a party until there's music." When community members are at an event where fellow community members are providing live music, the attendees experience the wholeness of the event while witnessing their peers elevating it to that level. It then gives the attendees the opportunity to see their peers in a new light, which can deepen their respect for one another and open their minds to the value of engaging with music. Similarly, at music-centric events like concerts, people witness their peers being vulnerable with skills they've developed and care about, and they celebrate this powerful aspect of life that they may only experience in a few select ways in their daily lives. In thoroughly engaging with peers' live music, both the performer and the audience feel seen in a different and valuable way, and the sense of community is strengthened.
I have noticed students playing different instruments. Can you speak to how this helps students develop as musicians and artists?
Learning how to play multiple instruments deepens someone's understanding of the role each instrument plays in different musical contexts, and that understanding best comes from experiencing it directly. Therefore, if students have proven to me they understand how to learn musically (via a couple of years experience on a principal instrument and learning songs fully), then I give them the green light to embrace the instruments they're interested in by giving them assignments on those instruments in ensembles. The students, in turn, push themselves on something that excites them, and they develop this deeper awareness of the reasons behind musical decisions on each instrument. This leads to more informed and responsible decision making on their instruments in future musical situations and, almost ironically, more flexibility.
Do you have any closing thoughts?
One of my favorite music books, Kenny Werner's Effortless Mastery, has this great section called "Music is the Icing on the Cake," from which I'll share an excerpt:
"The truth of the matter is that every breath is a gift, and playing music is optional. For the people in Somalia, food, not bebop, is important. For the people in Bosnia, it's peace. The absence of pain is important. Food, shelter, clean air, clean water, clothes to wear: these are more important than musical concerns, if not music itself. Music is not the cake. It's the icing on the cake. It's one of the enjoyments provided for us in this life, on this planet. In the overall scheme of things, your level of proficiency is not important. Remember that you can benefit from realizing this, because if you decide it's not so important, YOU MIGHT PLAY A LOT BETTER!"
Preparing to be as articulate and confident with the music you are performing is so beneficial to someone's journey as a musician because it makes them more focused and proud people who are more prepared to share. When it comes to performance, however, doing one's best to view it as another event on the journey with no real consequence really helps ease nerves as well as contextualize the event in the overall scheme of things. This does not mean treating a music event carelessly, but regarding the music itself: who enjoys watching musicians who aren't having fun?
Click Here For Photos of Fall End of Term Arts Performances and Exhibitions
- Arts
- Performing Arts