Every two weeks, the Kids Around the Bay column profiles one of the local school music programs, to provide parents with a sense of the resources and philosophy offered, as well as how programs compare. This week we spoke with composer and jazz pianist Eddie Mendenhall, music director with the Stevenson School on the Monterey Peninsula.
The Stevenson School opened in Monterey in 1952 as the Robert Louis Stevenson School (K-12), named after the author whose spirit of adventure, and the willingness of his protagonists to take risk, became the school’s inspiration. The high school includes about 550 students, of which half are boarders. The high school is modeled after certain New England boarding schools, particularly those with the English public school ethos of self-reliance and ‘strong in deed’. It has an Episcopalian priest on staff, is co-ed, and in recent years has attracted a large number of students from Asia.
The music school gained momentum in 1977 when then headmaster, Gordon Davis, brought in Robert Klevan — initially to provide a band for the football team — but also to develop a real music program. “He was a visionary,” says Klevan, “He strongly believed in the notion of the ‘whole child’ and the positive effects of music on kids in general and wanted that to be part of their lives.”
Klevan created in effect a small conservatory, which fostered a dozen ensembles. He left in 2003 to be the director of education with the Monterey Jazz Festival. Two years later, one of his best students, Eddie Mendenhall, became the new music director.
“Although we don’t recruit, we always seem to have a number of very accomplished young musicians,” said Mendenhall recently. “And in the past some have gone on to outstanding careers. Our approach is to offer a progressive environment for those who wish to explore their talent and each year we adapt the program to the students we have.”
The school has a string orchestra, a concert band, and a jazz combo (quintet), as well as a general chorus and, for more advanced singers, a chamber group. The school presents one musical a year and several concerts. There is no music major, however, an AP music theory course is offered, and a number of Stevenson graduates go to the likes of The Berklee College of Music, where Mendehall himself went. Other destinations include the Thornton School of Music at USC, the New England Conservatory, and Oberlin College.
Mendenhall, who has a background in jazz, conducts the string orchestra, jazz band and combo and teaches a course in jazz improvisation.
“We try to embrace technology as much as possible, and to that end the school has built computer labs and practice rooms, and a large auditorium. I also use an automated music assessment program to encourage students to keep practicing.”
Students receive free tickets to both the Monterey Jazz festival and the Bach Festival. Tuition ranges from $33,200 for day students to $54,600 for boarders.