The Jazz Ensemble enters a new chapter with the arrival of its new director, Mr. Brendan Cooney, who succeeds Mr. Phil Giordano. Mr. Cooney brings a wealth of teaching experience from several schools, including Friends Select and Germantown Friends, and he has also led various instrumental and choral ensembles. From the group’s first rehearsal, Mr. Cooney planned to infuse the group with fresh energy and a distinctive approach.
Mr. Cooney has taught lower school, middle school, and high school students, brass, guitar, and piano. He holds bachelor’s degrees in jazz performance and political science from Oberlin.
Mr. Cooney has lots of instrumental experience.
“I am a pianist. It’s my main thing. It’s what I went to school for. I enjoy playing jazz. Also, I like to play lots of Bach,” Mr. Cooney said. “I also play trombone, mandolin, banjo, bluegrass jazz, and Serbian-style music with a band. I love to improvise, and I have completed countless pieces of work as a composer professionally.”
Mr. Cooney stays active in multiple ensembles. He performs chamber music with the New River Ensemble, explores bluegrass on mandolin and banjo with Noggin Hill, experiments with Turkish-inspired synth sounds in ZRNA, and brings his jazz piano skills to a variety of other groups.
As a professional composer, Mr. Cooney has been the lead music director for a TV show on YouTube called “Pencilmation,” which has over 20 million subscribers. Several episodes have surpassed 100 million views, namely an episode Mr. Cooney wrote the music for, which gained over 300 million views.
In addition to the Pencilmation channel, Mr. Cooney has his own channel, called “cooneymusic,” where he explains how to play the piano, the process of composing, and pieces that he composed for films. Besides all of his professional works, Mr. Cooney has one more accolade on his résumé.
“I do want it to sound really good and clean, but that is definitely third. If we are too worried about being perfect, that will stifle creativity. Let go of that a little bit. Learn how to play phrases. How to play together. How to have fun.”
Mr. Brendan Cooney
He has a project called “Not So Silent Cinema,” in which he and the group play live music for silent films. The project harkens back to the early days of cinema: films were silent, with a pianist in the theatre providing live accompaniment.
This year, though, Tuesday nights are reserved for the Jazz Ensemble.
“My goal is to have all the kids have fun and be creative. I want them to learn and have some skills in improvising,” Mr. Cooney said. “My second goal is to have lots of good energy. I want to have a very spirited performance.”
Mr. Cooney thinks precision has its place, but he urged the ensemble not to let the pursuit of perfection overshadow the joy of playing. He explained that sound matters, but only after creativity and collaboration have been established.
“I do want it to sound really good and clean,” he said. “But that is definitely third. If we are too worried about being perfect, that will stifle creativity. Let go of that a little bit. Learn how to play phrases. How to play together. How to have fun.”
For Mr. Cooney, fun is not simply an extra ingredient added at the end of a rehearsal: it is the foundation that allows an ensemble to flourish. A group that enjoys playing together naturally develops a stronger sound and a better connection with its audience.
“You can always tell if an ensemble is having fun,” Mr. Cooney said. “There is a good vibe when people are having fun. Otherwise, they do not look and sound the best.”
Fifth Form drummer Ray Kresge noted how the group compares to last year’s ensemble.
“The original squad from last year is back,” Kresge said. “Lots of new freshmen this year, though. Lots of new talent and new instruments compared to last year. It’s definitely a new group of people. It’s been really fun to get to know them and play together.”
Mr. Cooney noted this year’s group’s strengths and areas for growth.
“We have lots of horn players and a good-sized rhythm section,” Mr. Cooney said. “Everyone is welcome, however. We can work with any amount [of participants].”
While the ensemble has a solid foundation, Mr. Cooney pointed out a few gaps that could be filled with more guitarists, clarinetists, horns, and violin players.
Despite these challenges, Mr. Cooney wasted no time shaping the group. From the first rehearsal, he introduced a new approach that reflected his philosophy of collaboration and creativity, setting the tone for the months ahead.
“We wrote a piece on Tuesday. Someone in the band had the idea to call it “A Good Song,” so we stuck with that. It’s mainly written by [Sixth Former] Ajay Chakraborty and [Fifth Former] Adam Brown. We wrote it together. Ajay had an idea for a melody, and Adam had an idea for a melody, and I did the intro,” Mr. Cooney said. “It turned out pretty great.”
Mr. Cooney emphasized that not all practices would follow this freeform approach.
“I was not sure who was going to show up, so I could not pick a piece to play,” Mr. Cooney said. “I am going to pick some more pieces to play next time. I’m not totally settled on what to play. I think I’m going to pick something really bluesy or swingy. Or a bossa nova.”
“Mr. Cooney is all about creating music and understanding the fundamentals of the craft, rather than just learning a song and playing it. It’s different and more challenging. Some people took to it immediately, but we just had our first practice. We’ll have to see how it develops.”
Jonny Wang ’26
For many students, this approach represents a new way of working. Players have been accustomed to the traditional method of being given a piece and instructed to play it. Now, they must create music on the fly, improvising and responding to each other in real time.
Sixth Form trombonist Jonny Wang shared his perspective on the new approach.
“Mr. Cooney is all about creating music and understanding the fundamentals of the craft, rather than just learning a song and playing it,” Wang said. “It’s different and more challenging. Some people took to it immediately, but we just had our first practice. We’ll have to see how it develops.”
Mr. Cooney was impressed by how quickly the fifteen band members adapted.
“I think everyone did a fantastic job,” Mr. Cooney said. “They were able to adjust to the new style seamlessly. I wasn’t sure if they’d be able to improvise even a few notes, but I was pleasantly surprised. Every student stepped up, and everyone took a solo as well.”
Mr. Cooney was delighted with the students’ behavior during their first rehearsal.
“They didn’t play a note while I was talking, which was great,” Mr. Cooney said. “I am gung-ho to perform with them this year.”
Kresge appreciates the fresh start, emphasizing how Cooney’s approach stands out.
“I have been bound to the score. He wants us to express ourselves foremost. I have never done it, and I am really excited,” Kresge said. “He is always very open to ideas. Just shooting them about, regardless of anything. He also embraces failure. He’s okay with it, as he believes it promotes experimentation. I’m used to a very structured environment. It’s different. Now I must be fluid.”
Kresge turned to reflect on his personal relationship with the ensemble.
“I, for one, am going into junior year, and I want to take things more seriously. I want to capitalize on the things I have learned. What can I learn when breaking structure? How can I add my own personal twist and splash now that I have a foundation? I think that he can help [with that],” Kresge said.
Mr. Cooney recognizes that the ensemble has room and time to grow and adapt. The group will gradually learn to take risks, trust each other’s ideas, and embrace the creative process.
Mr. Cooney offers his best advice to aspiring young musicians.
“If you keep working at it, you’ll eventually find the right balance between effort and enjoyment. It takes time, and it’s easy to get discouraged when results don’t come right away,” Mr. Cooney said. “Some people start out having fun, but then they hit a wall when the work becomes harder. That’s normal. The important thing is to keep going. Everyone is busy and has a lot on their plate, but if you stick with it, you’ll see progress. It absolutely can be done.”