Graduation does not have to be the end of your career as a musician. Many alumni have found ways to stay involved with music after their time with the MVs has come to an end.
Some find a new band within the community they settle into after they graduate, like Jenna O’Brien. Jenna (Clarinet, ‘18) moved to Philadelphia during the pandemic and was seeking a way to build community and a creative outlet outside of work. After a quick Google search, she found the Philadelphia Freedom Band, an organization that comes together to perform throughout the greater Philadelphia area and provide visible, active support to the LGBTQ+ community, and decided to join as a clarinet player. Her choice to join was solidified at her first rehearsal when she ran into fellow MV Alumna Sophie Tenaglia-Neil (Mellophone ‘15, maiden name: Sophie Tenaglia).
To Jenna, “band has been the space where I feel the most accepted and comfortable being myself.” This band is no different as she has found another band family here. The community she has cultivated here is so deep that she has even played marching band tunes at a fellow bandmate’s surprise birthday party. If you are seeking a community like Jenna did, she highly recommends researching community bands in your area. If you live around Philadelphia and want to join the Philadelphia Freedom Band, you can join the email list and get more information here. If you are outside the Philly area, they have sibling bands in many major cities that you can seek out!
Philadelphia Freedom Band’s holiday performance in Manayunk with MV Alumna Jenna O’Brien (Clarinet, ’18, 3rd from the left wearing the green knitted hat) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (Tone, ’05, 4th from the right wearing the rust-colored hat)
Other alumni create their next music opportunity by forming their own bands, including MV Alumna Duncan Elston. Duncan (Tone, ’19) is a bone and keys player in an 8-piece Funk Rock band based out of Richmond called The Monumentals. The band features 4 other MV Alumni: Joe McDermott (Snare, ‘17) on Drums, Cammy Cohen (Trumpet, ‘18) on vocals and trumpet, Matt Jones (Alto, ‘18) on sax, Anne Kelly Newman (Pic, ‘19) on vocals and flute.
The band started in some form when Cammy, Joe and Anne Kelly were still students at Tech in 2016. Once they had settled into Richmond post-graduation, the band continued to evolve into the funk rock group it is today, picking up additional members, Duncan and Matt, along the way.
Each member comes into this group with their own reasons to keeping the music alive in their lives. As a music educator, it is important to Duncan to connect with making music and playing since that is where his love of music originated. Bringing that love and appreciation of music to his students is cultivated that much more by participating in many musical opportunities outside the classroom. He also participates in several community bands in the area, the Richmond Pops Band and Commonwealth Winds. For members who are not music educators, like Cammy, it felt like a sharp transition to no longer have music in their lives after graduation. To help bring that back in her life as she navigated the beginning of her career, Cammy enjoyed having things like jam sessions and rehearsals on the calendar to keep music in her life, especially as the band was continuing to evolve.
Cammy advises that “it takes a while after graduation to figure out what fits well you’re your new lifestyle and satisfies your need for music” so take some time to figure out what you like/need to stay in touch with your musical side. She continues that “something like starting your own group will take time, especially in a big transition like college to career” so be patient with yourself and others as you figure out what works in this new life stage you are in.
You can catch The Monumentals playing around local breweries in Richmond, VA as well as some of the music venues in the area. Most recently, the group had their first solo show at The Canal Club in downtown Richmond which was an incredible experience to play such an iconic local venue. You can follow the band on Instagram @themonumentalsrva.
Duncan Elston ‘19, Matt Jones ‘18, Joe McDermott ‘17, Anne Kelly Newman ‘19, Cammy Cohen ‘18. The Monumentals performing at The Canal Club
So, whether it is a local community band, a group you form on your own or simply hosting jam sessions with friends, there are plenty of ways to stay involved with music once you enter the “real world” after graduation.
Mackenzie Knox - Alumni Blogger