At last, a music scene at South Kent

KENT — When he was a student at the all-boy South Kent School more than five years ago, Marcus Cooper was disappointed with the music opportunities available. Now a college graduate, Cooper has returned to the school — as an employee. He started as an intern in September 2010, but will be returning for the next school year as a full-time employee — and his job will be to expand the music programs offered by the school. Cooper now teaches music appreciation and music theory, as well as lessons for individual students. There are currently 17 students taking lessons at South Kent in drums, voice, piano, guitar and cello. Lessons are taught by various teachers, and Cooper himself gives drum lessons.“The program has grown pretty well here. There are a lot of musicians on campus and now there are more opportunities for them,” he said.Although he doesn’t have a large budget, Cooper is finding creative ways to get students involved in performing and composing. Students meet every afternoon to play and write music, for example, as part of a student-run organization called the Cardinal Underground (named after the school’s mascot). Cooper has set up open mic events on campus every Friday since Dec. 8, 2010. Most have been held in The Perch, a section of the dining hall that is open late so students can get snacks. The open mics have a different theme every week; all students are encouraged to attend and participate, or just come to enjoy the music.Next year, Cooper hopes to petition the school to add funding for musical initiatives into its budget. Funding would go toward purchasing new and better equipment, such as soundboards that would allow students to hook up a variety of musical instruments. Cooper would also like to see more bands come into the school from off-campus to provide the students with a glimpse at the local music scene.“Many of the people who play in bands in this area are around the same age as these guys,” Cooper said.News about upcoming open mic events can be found on the website www.cardinalnewsnetwork.org.