THE MUSICIANS AMONG US

Walk through the halls of Shipley’s music wing on any given day and you might hear a jazz combo improvising over bebop changes in a Charlie Parker tune, a chamber orchestra rehearsing Vivaldi, or young voices singing K-pop on solfege. Harley Givler, Director of Bands and Chair of the Music Department, can tell you who’s behind every sound—and he can tell you where each of those teachers will be performing this weekend.

That’s by design. At Shipley, every music faculty member is an active, performing professional—and being a teaching performer, as Givler describes it, is more than a line on a résumé. It’s central to the transmission of art, culture, and community. “What differentiates Shipley’s music teachers isn’t just that we perform,” he says. “Lots of band directors play weekend gigs. The difference is that each of us has performed at the highest level—and once you have that understanding of what music can be, that’s what you share with your students.” Music, in this view, is a living tradition, passed down not just through technique and theory, but through the experience of making music together and taking the stage to connect with an audience. The daily instruction students receive reflects lessons learned in late-night jazz gigs, weekend shows at the Kimmel Center, and conducting engagements at churches, colleges, and community centers across the region.

Christian Oatts, Jazz Band Director, is a case in point. As a frequent performer with the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra who recently released an album called Blood Line with his uncle, Dick Oatts, Chris first came to Shipley after Givler called Temple’s jazz department looking for a saxophone instructor for the Private Music Lesson Program. “He showed up at 7:30 every morning for one student,” Givler recalls. “I told our then-department head: ‘A talented performer who is this dedicated to education is rare. We have to keep this guy.’” Oatts now brings guest artists to campus and seats professional musicians alongside students in the pit orchestra for school musicals, all while keeping a busy performance schedule of his own with groups like the Chris Oatts Quintet, The Pretty Big Band, and the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia.

That connection to a wider musical community is something the department cultivates intentionally. Through Shipley’s teaching artists, students gain access to a professional network that leads to real-world opportunities. In practice, that means students attending jam sessions led by Key of She Jazz members, getting composition tips from a guest lecture by the Philadelphia-based Wildflower Composers collective, or forming a relationship with one of the more than 20 Private Music Lesson Program teachers who teach on Shipley’s campus. “Whether the journey helps you learn a few chords on ukulele or leads to a music major at Juilliard,” Givler says, “there are people here who can connect you to the right resource.”

Danielle Molan, Director of Choirs, founded the Epiphany Singers, an auditioned young-adult choir in Philadelphia. Last year she brought the ensemble to campus for a daylong collaboration with Shipley Singers—giving students a glimpse of what musical life can look like after graduation.

Jhonnatan Mata, Director of Strings, performs with the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra and Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra. He was trained in Venezuela’s El Sistema program, where he still returns regularly to work with young musicians.

Austin Wagner, Percussion Ensemble Director, plays drums with Chelsea Reed and the Fair Weather Band, a swing and jazz band that performs at venues from Chris’ Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia to Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Delia Raab-Snyder, Lower School Music Teacher, is also an accomplished clarinetist who joined Givler as the Co-Director of the Philadelphia Youth Concert Band (PYO), part of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute (PYOMI). The group is comprised of 10-16 year old musicians who travel from all over southeastern Pennsylvania to rehearsals on Shipley’s campus every Saturday morning.
“I got to where I was because a teacher saw I was interested and pointed me in the right direction,” Givler says. “That’s the journey we’re taking with our students. We’re all flowing in the same stream. We’re just at different points.

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