Special to the Times-Free Press
While the basketball action raced up and down the floor, an uncommon but most welcome sound blared above the roars and cheers of the East Boston and Chelsea fans packed into the East Boston gym on February 12.
Arranged in the west corner of the tiny gym, a pep band comprising more than a dozen young musicians from the Otis, Kennedy, and East Boston High music programs added a college-basketball atmosphere to the night’s competition. They belted out popular songs, including a Fenway Park-esque rendition of “Sweet Caroline” that had the crowd singing along and dancing to the music.
The music is the culmination of a partnership between the Boston Public Schools and ZUMIX, an East Boston-based nonprofit dedicated to building community through music and creative technology. East Boston native Madeleine Steczynski is the co-founder and Executive Director of ZUMIX, which serves over a thousand East Boston youth per year.
Though ZUMIX has been deeply involved with East Boston, the band’s appearance at the East Boston v. Chelsea rivalry game was the first time that they played at an Eastie sports event, Madeleine remarked.
From every indication, the fans loved it. “Let’s keep the bands going and playing at the games,” said one fan. “It was awesome!”
Corey DePina, Director of Programs at ZUMIX, has been the driving force to deepen and expand the ZUMIX connections to the schools. An accomplished rap artist, DePina has provided music instruction to students at the elementary and middle school levels.
DePina’s determination and vision comport perfectly with the efforts of Michael Prentky, a brass and woodwinds teacher at the Otis, Kennedy, and Algerie Schools whose ultimate goal is a full-fledged band program at East Boston High School. Prentky conducted the pep band at the game while East Boston high school’s music teacher Vivek Patel joined the festivities on trombone.
The collaboration between ZUMIX and the schools aims to provide a continuation of music programs at the younger levels into high school. The hope is that students who enter high school with experience in band and music will form the nucleus of a marching band. Toward this end, ZUMIX has also worked with the Boston Public Schools to organize music camps that join students from different schools to foster a sense of community and connection through music.
The lively music and joyous mood that the pep band brought to a hotly-contested basketball game is a perfect example of the value of music and how it can be integrated into the fabric of local events. Thanks to ZUMIX and determined staff, and music-driven faculty in East Boston, it may not be long before an East Boston High marching band is playing the tunes and rocking the gyms and stadiums and parades in Boston.