I received word over the weekend that Richard Reed, my junior high/high school choir director, passed away. It has been a long time since I have seen him in person. I am so grateful to him for the role he played in my life. These days I think a lot about the influence that teachers can have on their students. Mr. Reed shaped several generations of music students at Brookville Area High School. He was my teacher. He was also my parents’ teacher. He conducted our concert choir, and he founded our high school showchoir, the Happytime Singers. He was the music director for several decades of high school musicals performed on our high school stage. Alongside his compatriot William French, Mr. Reed brought theatre alive to several generations of high school students like me who fell under the spell of musical performance. Even now that I am in my fifties, I can’t get past the formality of calling him Mr. Reed. He will always be Mr. Reed to me. It is a sign of the deep respect I have for him as an educator.
True story: Several years before I was born, Mr. Reed and Mr. French produced a high school production of The Sound of Music. My mother and father were high school students at the time and were not even dating. My dad worked on the stage crew and was cast as one of the Nazis. My mother was cast as Louisa, one of Captain Von Trapp’s daughters. Years later when I was auditioning with Mr. French and Mr. Reed as directors, they would frequently claim some credit for my very existence. The way they told the story, during that production of The Sound of Music my dad was failing miserably as a stagehand, missing lighting cues because he couldn’t stop gawking at my mother, whom he had not yet asked to the prom. Mr. French claims that during one rehearsal he stopped everything and wouldn’t continue until my dad asked my mother out. Apparently he did, though by my mother’s reckoning, Mr. Reed and French didn’t know the full story–her father was a Church of Christ minister who forbade her to go to school dances, so the prom was out of the question. My mom and dad began dating as high school students, got married shortly after graduation and remained married for fifty years until my mom’s passing in 2023.
Beyond the generational connections that Mr. Reed forged in my life, I remember always being amazed by his profound tenor voice, his commitment to pursuing musical excellence, and his stern persona leavened with humor and grace. I know it was not always easy for him to put up with the shenanigans of our junior high glee club. Some of my best junior high memories are of pops concerts that he produced in which our glee club played a featured role. He helped me grow in my confidence as a performer. His training ushered me through district, regional, all-state, and all-eastern music auditions. Perhaps my favorite memory of Mr. Reed comes from my eighth grade year. I was cast in the title role of our local production of Oliver. Like many high schools theatre programs, our school suffered from a dearth of male performers. We did not have a good male voice capable of playing the part of Mr. Bumble, the beadle who sells Oliver to the undertaker in Act 1. Mr. Reed stepped into the role and performed it so admirably. One of my favorite pictures from those days is of Mr. Reed and me on stage together in this show.
When I was a young child, my mother decided she wanted to continue singing, so she began taking private voice lessons from Mr. Reed. I still remember making family trips to Mr. Reed’s house in Reynoldsville to pick my mother up after one of her voice lessons. I am so deeply thankful for the many gifts that Mr. Reed gave me and his students during his career. In past posts on this blog I have spent time reflecting on the important, character-forming work that happens in high school theatre. Mr. Reed changed my life. I’ll be forever grateful to him for the big and small ways he shaped me and other students he tutored during his career. Rest in Peace, Mr. Reed.
Great story Vic!
Great job on capturing the essence of the narrative! The storyline is engaging and keeps the reader hooked from start to finish. The characters are well-developed and relatable, adding depth to the plot. The pacing is just right, making it a smooth and enjoyable read. What inspired you to write this particular story?
Thanks for the memories Oliver. He always had our best futures in mind even when we were acting out in class. Fagjn
My acquaintance with Mr. Reed began in the 3rd or 4th grade. He started out in the Brookville Area Schools as an elementary music teacher. He traveled to all the scattered school buildings of the BASD, introducing backwoods kids to something other than the random melodies of patriot songs, and melodies of our youth. I recall one attempt to introduce us to south seas island culture with pole dancing. This required awkward boys to rhythmically tap and clap bamboo poles together to the beat of the music, while the girls danced in and out of the poles. All the while, as I recall doing a sing-song chant. As you can imagine, when the big show occurred, all the schools gathered together to demonstrate their proficiency at island song and dance. And it was somewhat of a disaster as boys couldn’t keep beat and girls trip over poles.
Mr. Reed was my music teacher, director and friend all my years in school. And yes he and Mr French take credit for putting Anita and I together all those years ago. After school, as Anita aspired to improve and broaden her musically abilities, she took voice lessons from Mr. Reed. He was the best teacher and if their is a heavenly choir, I rather think their will be hundreds of singers who will tip their halo to the man that introduced them to music.