A Viking's Debut

As Lead Band Director Kevin McKeown sits in the blue haze of the Samo band room, his serene smile is a testament to his dedication and deep-seated passion for his students and Samo’s music program alike. McKeown may be fresh to the Samo conductor’s podium, starting as a band director this year, but his blood has been blue and gold since grade school.A Sunset Park native and life-long Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) student, McKeown went to Grant Elementary School and John Adams Middle School before finally settling at Santa Monica High School. He graduated in 1992. It was there, or rather, here, that the music department changed his perspective, focus and goals for the future.“It was huge for me to be part of band at Samo,” McKeown said. “I came from a very working class family. I always thought that the music program gave me a sense of membership I never got anywhere else.”As a clarinetist, the band at Samo gave McKeown a new life as a musician.“What you do in high school — what you become? It has a huge impact on who you are and what you do,” McKeown said.Terry Sakow, Samo’s band director of 22 years and McKeown’s current colleague, served as a mentor for McKeown during his school years. Sakow quickly spied his aptitude for music and gave McKeown the prestigious role of drum major in the school’s marching band his freshman year.“The thing about Kevin [McKeown] is that I do remember him when he was my student, and he was a very, very eager student, and was really into conducting,” Sakow said. “I’m very proud of that, and it’s been great to see him grow. It’s the best thing for a teacher to see something like this happen. That’s what makes teaching rewarding. You get to see your students excel and do what you’re doing.”McKeown’s commitment to SMMUSD’s music department is long-standing. He has worked in SMMUSD since 2003, and taught at every school in the district except Lincoln Middle School and Malibu High School. McKeown views teaching at his high school alma mater as a particularly rewarding gift.In his debut season, McKeown plans to bring a powerful mixture of timeless tradition and fresh perspective to the music department that will hopefully give the band a more unconventional feel, while still preserving Samo’s time-honored rituals.According to McKeown, his students seem more than up to the challenge.“I had high expectations from not only friends and former classmates, but also myself to uphold Samo’s strong traditions. Knowing the system really ups the ante,” McKeown said. “But I remembered how much I loved it, and how at home I was here and what a great place it was to be and learn. I just couldn’t stay away.”McKeown’s energy and commitment to make Samo’s band program stronger than ever is  evident in his “old-school” plans for the school year, most of which are elaborations on long-standing Samo music department practices. They range from prominent participation in the annual, 65-year-old Stairway of the Stars concert to perfecting Samo’s Hymn of Praise.McKeown found exuberance and appreciation for his school and community through music and is out to rekindle the flames of school pride.“I think it shows that even though we come from distinct and unique backgrounds and even though we all fidget and are disconnected during the bulk of the pep rallies, when the Hymn of Praise starts, everyone puts up their V’s and stops for a moment to witness the importance of the piece,” McKeown said. “I think the students know that. When the kids play, we are Samo.”As for what the future holds, the expectations for the department are bright. There is a strong foundation for funds and resources, and a plan to introduce more modern material. McKeown also hopes to travel to Chicago with Wind Ensemble this spring, providing them with an unique opportunity to play alongside the Chicago Symphony.The upcoming season, in McKeown’s words, can only be described as “hot.”It could be his youthfulness, or maybe his sense of belonging and comfort at Samo, but with McKeown at the podium, there is a new light and a new air in the band room. His effects are already resonating in the outlooks and instruments of his students.“Mr. McKeown brings a really positive attitude to the band program and I think he’s doing a good job for his first couple of months here at Samo,” junior and Samo band member Sophie Horowitz-Hirsch said. “We’re already learning a lot, and we sound really good. It’s good to see him again.”Beyond technical advancement, this year McKeown hopes to instill his love and appreciation into his students and mold more passionate, engaged students.“We work hard, we play hard. I don’t take myself too seriously. It’s the music I take seriously, very seriously,” McKeown said. “Music is everything. And when I see these kids play, I know I’m upholding a tradition.”anarayanan@thesamohi.com