Battle of the bands

By Graham O’Neill ‘20

At the Catlin Gabel School (CGS), the Jazz Band is offered multiple significant privileges which are not offered to the Rock Band.

Members of the CGS Jazz Band have an option to receive an honors credit under the condition that they participate in a musical activity outside of school for a certain number of hours and that they have been in the Jazz Band for at least two years. Members of the Rock Band who fall under the same requirements like Helena Khoury, Justin Veimau, and me are not granted the opportunity to earn an honors credit in their senior year. This creates a difference for students who are applying to music school or are submitting a music portfolio to their school of choice because they could have had an honors music class. 

Jazz Band senior Eamon Walsh offers some importants insight into why he thinks this could be. “Rock Band is filled with very talented musicians, don’t get me wrong. Jazz Band has in the past been mostly where the classically trained musicians end up as jazz is a more technical style of music,” says Walsh. 

While this likely explains why Jazz Band is treated better in general, the honors credit does not require a student to be a classically trained musician, nor does it refer to the musician’s talent whatsoever. Even if this honors credit was affected by a musician’s skills, Rock Band’s eligible members consist of Khoury who is a recording artist and released her first album this year, myself who is a producer and is going to music school, and Justin Veimau who is a classically trained pianist. Rock music is just as important today as jazz in the music industry, and it is an outdated perspective that jazz performers are inherently more talented than rock band musicians. 

Eamon Walsh playing with the CGS jazz band

The Jazz Band is offered much more show time than the Rock Band as well. This year, the Rock Band had one show at the winter assembly where we were allowed a five-minute set, where the Jazz Band had a fifteen-minute set at the same assembly. On top of this, the Jazz Band is provided many opportunities to play at CGS events like the auction, homecoming, and open house. The only time Rock Band has been offered to play at a CGS event was this year when the Rock Band had one set at a Catlin Gabel event for the board, but the opportunity was provided by a Rock Band parent rather than the faculty or our teacher. This creates much less opportunity for Rock Band members to gain practical performance experience.

Mia Bane, head of the CGS Upper School Arts Department, gave her thoughts on the issue. “I think that was not a choice that was made; I think the opportunities arose probably through Mark’s (the teacher of Jazz Band’s) contacts,” said Bane. 

Mark Pritchard has taught at CGS lot longer than either of the Rock Band teachers, Damien Geter or Kelly Ballard, so he has a well-established presence in the faculty which most likely makes it easier for him to get shows booked. 

“Things have changed,” said Bane. “[When the idea of an honors credit was first brought up], none of us saw any merit in making music classes honors-level. It wasn't equitable because it required students to go do stuff outside of school, which for music would mean you need a car, instruments, and equipment.” 

According to Bane, when the idea of honors Jazz Band was brought up, Pritchard declined time and time again until he finally gave in. Geter similarly did not see the merit in an honors music class.

Fortunately, under Upper School Head Aline Garcia-Rubio’s  leadership and with several new arts faculty members, things might change for music students at CGS. 

“Aline’s leadership has made us look at the whole advanced honors programs and say what makes a class ‘honors,’ and how it can be more equitable across the board,” said Bane. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see honors become available for a lot more art courses.”

I hope the new music department will see Jazz and Rock Band as two equal entities which are both filled with some of the most musically talented people at our school. In today’s music industry, both types of music are very relevant, and CGS should support the growth of musicians in modern genres more than they do now. 

Whether the solution is to take all music honors credits away, or to start making them available to all eligible music students, something needs to change so that CGS can develop musicians who have plenty of performing experience and have the equal opportunity to gain music credentials like an honors credit.