FEATURES
Faculty at the Forefront
Q & A with Chris Rydel: Building Community and Confidence Through Music
Chris Rydel, director of Upper School Instrumental Music, joined Country Day in 2000, building a strong performance program and close ties with her talented students. Outside of Country Day, she serves as executive director and manager of the Youth Orchestras of Charlotte. Chris received degrees in both clarinet performance and music education from New England Conservatory of Music, and her master’s in arts administration from Winthrop University.
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PERSPECTIVES
You teach and conduct both band and orchestra. How challenging is that? In order to best guide and mentor my students, I had to learn how to play every instrument in the band and orchestra. Teaching band and orchestra are musically very similar, yet there are some big differences as the conductor. For instance, when I am conducting the band, there can be more than 25 different parts going on at the same time. Not all the band instruments are pitched in the same key, and how the sounds are made on their instruments varies greatly as they all have vastly different mechanics and playing techniques. In my years of teaching, I have come to find that most orchestra teachers do not want to lead a band. Some band
teachers will entertain the thought of leading an orchestra. I love teaching at Country Day because I have the best of both worlds! What do you like most about teaching music at Country Day? When I was growing up, my music teachers were passionate about their work—they made sure that students always had access to every musical opportunity possible. I love that now I am able to give back those same life-changing opportunities to my students. It has been an absolute joy to watch my students excel and reach for the next level, including participation in the NCAIS Honor Band, All-District Band, Western Regional Orchestras, All-State Band, All-State Orchestra, and the All-National Honors
