In most cases, the discipline of studying for class and the desire to go out and listen to a band are opposing forces in student’s lives. But, if you’re a student in the music department, a cafe or concert venue may be the perfect place for a lesson.
“I see more and more students in the audience at my shows these days,” said Matthew Shippee, Chair of GCC’s music department and the leader of the well-established gypsy jazz band, Swing Caravan. “At shows, I get to know students differently from in the classroom. They get to know me differently too. I realize that I’m still teaching them in a way. Unintentionally I’m modeling things for them, like the level of musicianship you need to have in performing and the way a band can work together in improvisational music.”
Shippee isn’t the only faculty member in the department keeping up an active performance career along with teaching. The department is made up of 13 teachers, all of whom are performing artists in their own right. Shippee said it’s great having performing musicians on staff because professional activity and growth is an important factor in having a quality music department.
“We believe our teaching is going to be better and our students will be better served if we are all actively performing, growing and honing our skills all the time.” Shippee said.
Drum teacher David Nelson agrees.
“I feel that I need to practice what I preach. I really enjoy playing, I’ve been doing it for 35 or 40 years now, and I really feel strongly about being able to maintain a performance schedule. It really does benefit my teaching,” he said.
The classes in the department tend towards jazz, contemporary, and world music, but tastes and styles among the teachers vary greatly.
Nelson plays drum set with several bands in the area, with a long history in American blues styles. He also plays “kitchen percussion” with Swing Caravan, using washboard, pans, spatula, and a maple sap bucket to tap out rhythms with metal finger picks.
Jeff D’Antona teaches piano in the department and is also the leader of a busy local jazz trio. He says, “I believe that being a music teacher and a performer are completely interrelated. First and foremost, I will always consider myself a student of music,” D’Antona said. “I am always trying to learn more about music and improve as a player. I am constantly thinking about new ways that I can practice my instrument, write compositions, or convey an emotion to an audience. I am able to relate to my students because we are all working towards the same goal: to become better musicians.
“I have the same struggles that my students have when they practice, play in a band, or write music. The only difference is that as a ‘teacher,’ I think about the struggle a bit more and try to find solutions. The solutions I find for myself, I pass on to students.”
Other musicians in the department include David Goodrich, who plays guitar and works for Signature Sounds in Connecticut as an accompanist for folk bands, and Geoff Cunningham and Bruce Krasin who plays brass and woodwinds, respectively, with Big Band orchestras. Percussionist Steve Leicach performs regularly and teaches various styles of music with African and Brazilian heritage.
Goodrich plays and teaches several kinds of string instruments in the department including guitars and mandolin.
Goodrich said music is like language and learning to play with different kinds of musicians, especially as an accompanist, is like having to learn different dialects of that language. That flexibility has been a great resource he pulls from while teaching. He said teaching at GCC has been a great experience because of the diversity and musical talent in the department.
“The department is just really great. I really love the forward thinking about education that everyone seems to have here,” he said. “We have creative ways of connecting with students and sharing the learning process with students. We don’t really think of it as teaching as much as learning together.”
With a record number of new music majors beginning classes this fall, Shippee said he expects to see more and more overlap between on-campus studies and off-campus faculty performance. He said, “We take a holistic approach to music education here, and the bridge we’re making between campus and community musical life feels like a natural outgrowth of that.”
For more information about the GCC Music Department or any of the musicians, please contact Matthew Shippee at 413-775-1228.
