Although our beloved headmaster Mr. Greg Schneider is most known to the majority of the Belmont Hill community for his effortless and flawless speeches, his influential leadership, and his dedication to the school, his “underground” musical talents are no less impressive.
Always attentive to the popular songs of the day, Mr. Schneider’s early music education propelled his lifetime appreciation for music. During a school assembly where instruments were displayed to him and his fellow students, Mr. Schneider “for some reason pointed at the saxophone and said, I’ll try that.” This decision would serve him well; today he is an accomplished jazz player, having been a part of numerous musical ensembles throughout his high school and college years. In addition to the saxophone, Mr. Schneider started learning the electric guitar in the eighth grade, and today has incorporated the guitar into many of his performances.
Like many musicians, high-school Mr. Schneider found himself at times overwhelmed by the immense workload of school and sports and did not always make music practice his first priority. However, since then, he says music “has become a part of my life. As I get older, I realize it is so much more important to play less notes that are more melodic and memorable…something that I can sing back to myself.” For him, music is “a mindfulness and stress reduction mechanism as opposed to a hassle or nuisance,” and he hopes to instill this in the minds of the musicians at Belmont Hill. As a high schooler, Mr. Schneider’s dedication to music earned him the highly prestigious Music Prize granted to him at graduation.
At Belmont Hill, Mr. Schneider’s contributions to the music department have pushed many student and staff musicians to perform themselves. In opportunities such as the Coffee Houses, Mr. Schneider’s passion for expressing his jazz standards and guitar-singing solos has brought joy and excitement to the events. Right now, he is in the process of preparing new pieces for the Spring Coffee House.
Outside of school, Mr. Schneider keeps his musical talents fresh by playing in a band that performs around the Greater Boston area. From playing outside of Belmont Hill, he realized that “music tends to be a way to connect to the human experience.” His group has played numerous gigs, but they have found the market for live music to have drastically decreased in the years since his childhood. Despite this setback, he continues to strive for more performances, saying “I find playing jazz a real team experience.”
In his years of musical experience, Mr. Schneider has realized just how important music is to everyday life. While a busy high school student’s schedule may lead them to believe that there is no extra time for learning an instrument, music is always around. Mr. Schneider articulates that he “wants to try to model that boys here can cross boundaries into athletics, academics, and the arts.” Music plays a defining role in the lives of everyone and many do not realize the science behind the noises they so regularly hear. Mr. Schneider highlights the benefits of music education by stating, “it’s hard for kids this age to appreciate that when they’re thirty-five, they can’t play football anymore, they’re probably not playing hockey anymore, but you can play music until you die. It’s truly a lifelong thing.”
