There are 20 minutes left before the bell rings and Kids Who Rock, a rock band comprised of West Marin School eighth graders, is running through its West Weekend set for the final time before their flatbed truck stage parades down Main Street.
Dave Whitney, the school’s music teacher, directs the ensemble of four singers, two guitarists, an organ player, a bassist and a drummer. The students’ return to Western Weekend is not only an opportunity for them to defend their title (last year’s trophy for first place in music sits on top of the organ’s amplifier) but also the last waltz for a group that has been playing and learning music together since kindergarten.
After Mr. Whitney counts off the rhythm, guitarist Liam Riley launches into the crunchy blues riff that opens “Nitty Gritty” by the rockabilly group Southern Culture on the Skids. On the bass is Max Wessner, who locks down the groove with a commendable, adroit touch. His teacher observed his ability to maintain a rhythm when he was a fifth grader in an African hand drum class and knew he’d be a good fit for the instrument.
“I looked at him and said, ‘You look like a bass player, dude,” Mr. Whitney said. “It turns out he’s done very well on the bass and he’s a natural. His ability to pick up where he needs to and to keep his ears open is quite impressive.”
Mr. Wessner said he’s looking forward to the approaching gig. “Western Weekend is always the most fun because you recognize almost every person in the crowd and they’re always more into it,” he said. “It’s different than just playing on a stage in front of an audience.”
Eighth grader Faolan Cadiz, who has been playing the piano since early childhood, hops on the Hammond organ for a few songs. Though she’s been an ardent player of the keys, Mr. Whitney has noticed her expansion into other modalities.
“I’ve seen her grow as a musician, but really I’ve been just super focused on developing her vocals,” he said. “She’s sought out a teacher and travels over the hill once a week. She’s put in a lot of hours to learn her part and is always prepared. It’s clear she takes it very seriously.”
Mr. Whitney became the school’s full-time music teacher in 2014. He’s developed a program that gradually introduces students to new musical instruments each year, beginning with percussion instruments in kindergarten. Second graders learn to play with tuned percussion pipes called boomwhackers; fourth graders begin to read rhythms and learn both the recorder and a three-stringed instrument called strum sticks. By fifth grade, they’re learning the ukulele. Mr. Whitney offers rock band classes in sixth grade, with four bands of varying skill levels, all under the Kids Who Rock umbrella. He said he selects songs for the bands to learn during the summer before classes begin. “To me, it’s really important that what they’re learning is blues-based,” said Mr. Whitney, who focused on the history and evolution of African influences on American music for his degree in music from Sonoma State.
He also films himself playing each instrument’s sections and uploads the videos onto the students’ school-provided iPads to help them practice.
For him, Western Weekend is a bittersweet conclusion to three years of growing with the Kids Who Rock. “This is a special group of kids, and I’m sure I’ll be feeling it up on the float,” he said. “When I play with them, I think to myself all the time how lucky I am to play with these guys.”