Three teachers from Mehlville School District will take the stage at Powell Hall on April 24, performing in a concert alongside other music educators and musicians from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO).
Music teacher Joe Akers from Bierbaum and MOSAIC elementary schools will play the trumpet, Washington Middle School band director Jennifer Garrison Brown will play the flute and Mehlville High School band director Tony Brown will play the clarinet.
“Us, as band directors, we’re giving a lot of concerts and doing a lot of performances,” Tony said. “I’m just looking forward to doing the event and being a part of it.”
The concert is a chance for the orchestra to partner with local music educators, who are raising up the next generation of musicians. The teachers and band directors will “play side-by-side” with SLSO musicians, so that they have counterparts playing with them during the concert.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for all educators to meet each other and network, to trade ideas,” Akers said. “I always believe that anytime I perform and get to work with other people, it always makes me a better teacher.
Jennifer added, “I think it’s really smart of (SLSO). It shows support for music in the schools — this future of musicians who are being trained right now in public schools. Even if they’re not going on to be professional musicians, they’re more likely to be in attendance at concerts. Our students are kind of their future, so to get us on their side and for us to feel supported as teachers, I think that will help keep a vibrant future for the symphony.”
This is Akers’ and Tony’s first time playing in this concert, but Jennifer has done it twice before. She says that this year, she convinced Tony — her husband — to play alongside her. In the past, the concert took place during the fall marching band season, so Tony refrained from adding another commitment to his schedule. But this spring, they’ll get the chance to play together at Powell Hall.
“Even before we were dating, we were friends and we’d play duets together,” Jennifer said. “Through the years, it feels like we haven’t had as much time to play together … It feels like our roots, to us — like how we started as a couple.”
To be accepted, all three filled out a written application. Now, they’re practicing their parts in anticipation of the April concert. They will have one rehearsal just hours before the concert, followed by a dinner and then the concert itself.
The concert will consist of music such as “Mars” from Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite “The Planets,” three movements from “L’Arlesienne” by Alphonse Daudet and “The Moldau” by Bedrich Smetana.
“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity,” Akers said. “It’s nice recognition for our district and our schools to have three educators involved in this.”
