February 8, 2022:
The young musicians sauntered into their two-room studio and took their seats in a circle of chairs, surrounded by instruments. Dressed casually in jeans, sweatshirts, sweatpants and T-shirts, the masked group of boys and girls exchanged ideas on what song to play first: Nirvana’s “Teen Spirit”. Of course. They stood up, moved into the smaller back room filled with more instruments, amplifiers, and microphones, and tuned up to play.
This seventh grade Tigers Mixed Band class at Flood Brook School (FBS) assembles for 65 minutes twice a week over the three-month winter trimester. Prior musical experience is helpful, but certainly not required. The drummer has played for almost a decade, “I’ve liked to beat on things since I was a little kid, so I was given a drum set when I was three.” The lead guitarist? Two years. The bass player? Two months.
The halls of Flood Brook had been without the sound of music for nearly two years. In March of 2020, pandemic restrictions resulted in total shutdown of the program. The return of music was a natural fit for Flood Brook’s new Principal Amy Harlow, who in her spare time before COVID, was a member of Village Harmony, a Vermont based international chorus. “Music and the arts are an integral part of a balanced education,” Harlow says. “It connects students to each other and allows for a different form of expression.”
To lead the revised music program, Flood Brook was fortunate to be able to recruit a top notch music teacher, whose specialty instrument is the saxophone, but whose repertoire is much broader. A professional musician, Matt Steckler, taught at The Dorset School from 2014-2017 before being lured to Canada for three years as a teaching professor at the Brandon University Jazz Studies Program. “It’s good to be back in Vermont,” says Steckler, “and I love being in the classroom with these kids.”
Steckler teaches a full schedule of music classes from Kindergarten to Eighth Graders. His work with the Tigers Mixed Band is just one example of his passion for music and ability to connect with the students.
Each session focuses on the art of making music. Toes tap and heads bob as the group moves from song to song and genre to genre. “Teen Spirit” was followed by the Bill Withers’ classic rhythm and blues hit “Lovely Day”. From there the band returned to alternative rock and a touch of hip-hop with “Feel Good, Inc.” by Gorilaz and then the art-pop ballad “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye and Kimbra. “Why do we have to perform a break-up song?” called out one of the boys in the band.
Each song allows the musicians to collaborate and polish their craft. They might play slowly at first to make sure each member is up to speed. Steckler works the room like a conductor, bringing each musician into the mix. Then it’s time to rock. “Every song has a basic core structure and once you find it,” he explains, "you are free to explore because you can always find your way back home.”
As time was running out, Steckler wasn’t about to let this band leave early. “We’ve got 12 minutes left,” he told them. “Time enough to learn a new song.” The group immediately began calling out ideas: “Hey Nineteen”, “Chop Suey”. They quickly settled on a classic rock tune by Jethro Tull, “Locomotive Breath”. The lead guitarist quickly mastered the scratchy opening chord, the bass player grabbed the rhythm, the drummer came in with percussion, and conga and key-board players rounded out the sounds. When the session was over, the band members, having mastered a first take, walked out humming a new tune.
“It’s too bad the pandemic keeps these kids from performing in concert,” says Steckler. “They’ve done such great work. I wish everyone could see what goes on in this studio.”
