BOURNE — Superintendent Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou and principal Amy Cetner are pleased to share that a group of Bourne High School music students recently had a unique opportunity to speak with a BHS alumnus after studying his work as part of their class.
On Thursday, Oct. 7, students in Lisa Fournier’s Pre-AP Music class had the opportunity to virtually meet with composer Ian Good, a2007 graduate of BHS, who was also one of Fournier’s former students. The students were able to ask Good questions about his piece, “The Mad Wind,” after it was incorporated into their lesson plan for the new school year.
The first module in the Pre-AP Music class is the Introduction to Programmatic Music, which examines music associated with something that gives it meaning. Students in Fournier’s class studied such famous composers as John Williams, Franz Schubert, Gustav Holst, George F. Handel and Rene Claussen, before Fournier assigned them “The Mad Wind.”
The piece was originally commissioned by the Cape Cod Music Educators Association — of which Fournier is a member — in February 2020. It was written to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the All Cape and Islands Music Festival, and high school musicians from all over the Cape and the Islands debuted the piece.
Some of Fournier’s Pre-AP students had played “The Mad Wind” before, but for this class they were given the conductor score (a fuller, more in-depth score of the music) and students discussed the notes and thoroughly exchanged ideas about Good’s approach to the instrumentation and how the lyrics were captured by his composition.
Students brought up many insightful questions during the class discussion, after which Fournier decided to reach out to Good to see if he would want to do a virtual meeting. The composer jumped at the opportunity.
“Ian was thrilled to hear such intelligent questions and conversations about his piece,” Fournier said. “I thought how we can’t talk to Schubert or Handel about their work, but here was this former student of mine, a remarkable published composer that used to sit in this very classroom just like my current students. It was a perfect fit.”
Students engaged in a thoughtful discussion with Good about his use of dynamics, crescendos, instrumentation and meter changes in the piece, which emphasize the restlessness and power of the wind. The discussion not only gave students a deeper appreciation for the piece, but also for what they can accomplish after graduating from BHS.
“I was so proud of my current students, and so proud to introduce them to a past student,” Fournier said. “To be able to connect them virtually was not just effortless, but powerful. It was definitely a good day to be a teacher.”
Pre-AP Music is just one of several Pre-AP courses being offered at Bourne High School for this school year. The courses are designed to provide students with engaging, targeted course materials, and having Good speak to the class added an additional layer of education that connected the students to their work in a special way.
“Speaking with Mr. Good was a formative experience,” said student Quinn Schwefler. “It was cool to see the thought process of the composer of a piece of music we studied in class.”
Added fellow student Nathan Cushing, “This was a great opportunity to gain insight from the composer. Getting to know the composer gives you a more personal approach to their music.”
Samples of Good’s work, as well as information on his schedule, can be found on his website. He was nominated for a Grammy award in 2019 for Best Engineered Album-Classical, and works with the New York Philharmonic.
“It was tremendous to have someone who once walked these halls, who has gone on to achieve such success in his field, take the time to pass on his wisdom and experience to the next generation of Bourne students,” Superintendent Quinlan-Zhou said. “We always strive to give our students not just a high-quality education but also experiences that they will remember and will leave a lasting impression. For our students to be able to engage with Ian in this way did just that. We thank Ian for speaking to our students, and commend Mrs. Fournier for making the interaction possible.”
###