Sydney Gibson ’15: It all began in the spring of 2010; a group of musically inclined Episcopal Academy teachers came together to form Flash Mob. The band came about when an EA student contacted a few teachers to see if they were interested in performing at Artsfest. Three of those contacted, Doug Parsons, Rob Maier, and Bryan McDermott, gladly accepted the invitation. Since then, those teachers have assembled at least once a month to practice for their various gigs.
Photo courtesy of escholium.org
In the past, Flash Mob has performed at multiple events, including Open Mic Night, the Faculty Christmas Party, and Graduation Day. Currently, they are in the midst of preparing for their performance at this year’s Starfest. When asked about the band, Parsons, Dean of Faculty, who has been playing drums since 5th Grade, said, “It brings back great memories. I love our late night jam sessions. They are like a release, that cleans out my head.” Maier, who has been playing guitar since 8th grade, stated “Being apart of Flash Mob enables me to open up connections with students, especially when performing at Open Mic Night.” Although all of the teachers involved with the band are passionate and enthusiastic, they also take their hobby seriously and recognize the time commitment it requires.
Flash Mob has played a wide range of music and incorporates many different people into their practices and performances. The group has practiced approximately 100 different songs together but has not yet written any of their own. Their favorite genre to perform is Classic Rock, but they have also integrated mainstream bands such as Imagine Dragons into their set list.
Aside from the current core group, which includes Parsons, Maier, and McDermott, other teachers have been featured in the band. Some of these teachers include Terry Meyer, a former EA librarian, Leslie Barr, a middle school science teacher, and Steve Kerwin, an upper school science teacher.
Kerwin, who just started teaching at Episcopal this year, has played keyboard and sung with the group a few times, but also plays frequently on his own during his free time. It is obvious that everyone involved with Flash Mob sincerely appreciates music and treasures the opportunity to be a part of the band. It seems that if you are a teacher at Episcopal who loves music and you can play an instrument you should definitely consider playing with Flash Mob. Hopefully we will all be seeing Flash Mob play more often as they are becoming increasingly prominent on campus.