Professional pianist Danny Holt visited the Upper School to teach classes and perform for students Feb. 1-9.
Holt taught five classes that focused on musical developments during the 20th century to students enrolled in Philosophy in Art and Science classes, which are taught by performing arts teacher Ted Walch and math teacher Kevin Weis.
“It fits into philosophy because they spend the unit really talking about aesthetic and the aesthetics of music,” Director of Kutler Center and Summer Programs Jim Patterson said.
Pianist Steven Vanhauwaert and drummer Mike Robbins performed with Holt during philosophy classes, as well as during activities period.
Holt and Vanhauwaert make up the critically-acclaimed piano duo 4handsLA.
They performed Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” for the philosophy class.
“I thought that the musicians who came in definitely added an aspect of the unit that was more personal than any other we’ve studied because they let you connect with the material and step into that time,” philosophy student Jarett Malouf ’18 said.
Holt and Vanhauwaert have been visiting philosophy classes for the last four years and are a part of the Kutler Center’s initiative to bring in professionals who can teach and work closely with students in a variety of interdisciplinary fields.
“[Holt] is a trained musician,” Patterson said. “That is really his vocation. That is his academic training. That is his professional training. But, he also cares very much about how music interacts with culture, music interacts with the history of the period and music interacts with the philosophy of the period.”