Wednesday, July 17 at 7 p.m. – RUTLAND – High school contemporary musicians will take the stage in Main Street Park on Wednesday, July 17 when West Rutland School Rock Lab plays Rutland’s mainstay “Seven To Sunset” concert series. The performance caps off an exciting school year which included road gigs, drone-captured music videos, and even a grant bestowed by Vermont Governor Phil Scott.
Rock Lab began as an elective music course at West Rutland School in 2003 as an alternative to the traditional high school band and chorus. Under the direction of music teacher Phil Henry, it has become popular enough to grow to two sections in the schedule. These students perform contemporary rock, pop, funk, and folk using contemporary instruments like acoustic and electric guitar, bass, drumset, hand percussion, and keyboard. “I think that at the beginning of Rock Lab, it was for kids who didn’t ‘fit in’ with traditional school music,” says Henry. “But now it also feels like a supplement. Our keyboardist sings in the chorus, and plays cello with the band, for example. They’re learning to write setlists and arrange songs and run their own professional sound. It strengthens everything else in the school music program.”
Rock Lab has performed for school events and traveled to play at area elementary schools and various other community events, including the Vermont State Fair. Last year, they were a Top 10 finalist in the Do Good Festival’s “Beats For Good” competition for high school musicians. “The band is really excited about playing at Seven To Sunset,” says Henry. “The series is a really visible performance in the heart of Rutland. It could be our biggest gig yet.”
This spring, the band recorded two songs in front of a live audience of West Rutland elementary school students, using GoPro cameras and drone footage soaring above the crowd. When applying for a Vermont Music Drives Us Foundation grant, the drone footage caught the attention of the state’s grant committee and founder Ernie Boch, Jr. In the final week of school, Governor Phil Scott and Ernie Boch held a press conference at West Rutland School announcing the grant winners, including a $3,500 grant for Rock Lab. The funding will help buy and update the band’s equipment.
Over the years, many Rock Lab alumni have made music either a professional occupation or a lifetime passion. Three notable examples are Nick Grandchamp, who as a punk rock musician represented Vermont with his band Get A Grip at the South By Southwest Festival in Texas; Max O’Rourke, who has toured as far away as France and Russia as a Django Reinhardt-style jazz guitarist; and Saige King, who studied music performance at Castleton University, teaches private voice and guitar.
The band will feature sets from two sections of Rock Lab including: Gina Danylieko (vocals, percussion), Kylie Duel (guitar, vocals, drums), Izabelle Fenton (vocals, percussion), Jack Fortier (guitar, drums), Abbey Lanfear (vocals, guitar, keyboard, saxophone), Ruth Petit (vocals, harmonica, percussion), Tristan Rocke (keyboards, vocals), Quincy Senecal (bass, drums, vocals), Savannah Avery (vocals, keyboard, guitar), Ryan Coolidge (drums, percussion, keyboard), Max DiDomenico (guitar, vocals, bari sax), Kaleb Kelly (bass, vocals), Myleigh Stone (keyboard, vocals), and Eli Streeter (drums, percussion).
Director Phil Henry is a graduate of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and has been teaching at West Rutland School for the past 21 years. In 2023 he was awarded Music Educator of the Year by the Vermont Music Educators Association.
The performance begins at 7 p.m. beside the gazebo in Main Street Park in Rutland. It is free and open to the public. A full schedule and more information can be found at rutlandrec.com.
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