By Jacob Golomb ’16

As all music students at Sherwood know, Alex Silverbook is a dedicated and very talented band teacher. One of the ways he shows his love for music education is by inviting well-known musicians to Sherwood to perform and work with students.

The workshops that these guests do include working on musical pieces with students, sharing what influenced him or her to become a musician, and talking about the life of a professional musician. For example, when Tia Fuller, a well-known saxophonist, came to Sherwood a few years ago, she spoke to students about her experiences being on tour with Beyoncé.

According to Silverbook, it is rare for high schools to get so many well-known musicians to conduct clinics for the students. Silverbook happens to be friendly with many of these musicians so he simply invites them to Sherwood. For other well-known musicians, he checks if they are touring in the D.C. area and contacts their managers to see if they are interested.

These connections are a result of Silverbook’s lifelong interest in jazz. As a teenager, he gained exposure to many of the great jazz musicians of the time by going to jazz clubs and concerts in Philadelphia.

“It is important that students are exposed to the masters so they can learn from them and continue the music through their own experiences,” Silverbook said. “I take a lot of pride in exposing students to musicians. I learn things too, not just them.”

Silverbook tries to get two or three musicians in a year to work with the students. Most of the time, music students, some parents and interested teachers can attend these workshops.

The musicians Silverbook has gotten to attend range from Grammy-Award winners Nicholas Payton and David Sanchez to celebrated jazz drummer and Sherwood alum Allison Miller. Last year, three-time Grammy Award winning saxophonist Jeff Coffin and renowned Bela Fleck and the Flecktones drummer “Futureman” played for the music students and discussed everything from jazz music to the importance of music in our lives.

“Jeff Coffin and Futureman took their years of experience and translated it to a very enjoyable workshop,” said senior drummer Tyler Golsen. “Futureman taught me how to have fun on the drums again.”

“I don’t expect everybody I teach will become professional musicians, but they will go away with greater inspiration from music,” said Silverbook.