At the age of six, Sixth Former Alex Rhodes began his music career. He first learned piano from his older sister’s piano teacher, but to his surprise, she claimed that he was “unteachable.” Undeterred, Rhodes decided to teach himself the piano.
“I taught myself by practicing songs I heard in the car that I couldn’t get out of my head until I recreated them,” Rhodes said.
Sixth Former Tom Saul went through a similar experience. He began taking piano lessons at just four years old. Unlike Rhodes, Saul continued for about three years before quitting lessons, learning to play songs by ear instead. For Rhodes, his ability to recreate music he heard helped him develop relative pitch. He kept playing the piano, cycling through new teachers, and switching once they would make him play classical music.
“I managed to make it through four years of lessons without one classical song besides ‘Für Elise,’” Rhodes said. That Beethoven piece made it through because, according to Rhodes, “‘Für Elise’ is dope.” He preferred playing and composing his own pop songs, which was “unusual for most young pianists.”
At age ten, Rhodes began driving to South Philadelphia to a Russian couple, the Kalendars, for lessons. “This was where I was first introduced to jazz,” he said. Practicing jazz with the Kalendars taught Rhodes how to make songs using a method that he still practices today.
Unbeknownst to Rhodes, Mr. Kalendar had been preparing him to play at the Philadelphia Clef Club School of Jazz. “After about a year and a half or two years of lessons, I went to the school and attended a summer camp they held and was placed into the worst sections.”
Despite this, he persevered and attempted to learn whatever he could.
During those two weeks, Rhodes acquired new skills, such as playing in a group and the basics of improvisation. He continued to go to the school on Saturdays and camps in the summer for the next five years and met many other musicians, like Saul.
Saul continued his career after quitting his piano lessons by taking on the drums. He started by taking lessons at age nine and has been playing for nine years now. Also, he recently decided to learn and produce music on digital audio workstations like Logic Pro X and Ableton. He spent many years listening to and learning how to make music, especially electronic dance music, which he has listened to since he was about four. Music had always been a big part of his life. He has used his talents to jam with Rhodes and play in the rock band. Rhodes, on the other hand, continued playing at the Clef Club on weekends.
“The club turned me into the musician I am today,” Rhodes said. On a bigger scale, it taught him all about blues ballads, reggae songs, and gospel aspects. “Most importantly, it taught me to feel what I was playing.”
Rhodes’s love for music grew, and he began to jam over his own chord progressions. His passion for making music led him to try new instruments, including bass, drums, and most notably, the guitar.
Much like the piano, Rhodes tried to teach himself guitar.
“I remember four years ago, I wasn’t even trying to play the guitar, but just trying to get it to make a sound. It sounds ridiculous but it’s true.”
He was only able to play the open strings. Then, he took a year-long break from playing until his Third Form year where he began to teach himself chords.
“It didn’t come as naturally as the piano for the first year, so I did have to practice things, but I basically got it down over the course of junior year,” Rhodes said. “Today, I have the same freedom to recreate whatever I can think of in my head on the guitar that I have on the keys.”
Music has given me a way to express myself and my emotions
Alex Rhodes ’25
Guitar and piano have been extremely helpful to him through many difficult times.
“Music has given me a way to express myself and my emotions,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes and Saul recently started the Music Production Club, where they help people find their musical passion and make music that they enjoy. The club started out with about 30 members but has since fizzled down to about ten core members.
Rhodes and Saul also recently played at The Jazz & Rock Band Winter Concert. Their band also includes Sixth Former Avery Jones and Fifth Former James MacColl. Although they are a young band and do not have a lot of practice, Rhodes was proud of how they did.
“Everyone seemed to enjoy it,” Rhodes said. “I’m proud of how we played, and I’m excited to see what our talented band can become.”
Saul has made plans for his senior project. “I plan to go to Las Vegas to live with my uncle Jonathan Shecter for a couple of weeks and produce music,” he said.
Shecter owns a big company in the music industry. Saul hopes to learn about the ins and outs of the company and the business side of it, as well as the usage of music in public spaces such as restaurants and casinos.
“I hope to make multiple singles, extended plays, or an album,” Saul said. This experience will introduce him to the professional world of music and the many possibilities of what he could do after finishing his education.
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