David Reynolds, Jr - Founder & Executive Director, The Vienna Jammers

The Pod of DC

In 2005 David Reynolds Jr. was teaching General Music to Elementary School students when he was approached to start a percussion ensemble for kids as a community service project. At first the group consisted of about two dozen 5th and 6th graders banging on instruments available to them in the school from xylophones to trash cans and other non-traditional instruments. Fast forward to today, The Vienna Jammers is celebrating it's tenth year as a not-for-profit organization consisting of 5 performance ensembles, a tech group focused on directing and editing video performances, and serving over 130 students aged 8-18 across 25 schools throughout Northern Virginia. The performance ensemble group has traveled out of state and graced stages around Washington DC as well as on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial. On this episode of the pod David, a 2018 Music Educator Grammy nominee, shares his approach to performance, how complex music pieces are taught and broken down that make it fun and engaging for the kids, the penultimate goal for his students to perform abroad in the countries where the marimba and steel pan sounds originated, and the meaning and importance of always bringing the "turtle poop" to every performance.