This year, Conservatory Lab celebrates 13 staff and teachers with service of 10 years or more.
Bassist and improviser, Brad Barrett enjoys the longest tenure at Conservatory Lab. Brad joined the El Sistema team in August 2010 after completing his masters degree at New England Conservatory and completed his doctorate during his early years of teaching.
When asked what is integral to Conservatory Lab’s mission, Brad shared, “Music everyday for all students. Watching students grow and evolve is one of the best parts of the job”.
Brad has had the unique experience of teaching some students all the way from Kindergarten to 8th grade, several of whom continued their music education at Boston Arts Academy and beyond.
Over the last 16 years, Brad has seen many iterations of Conservatory Lab, taught in many buildings, and had many coworkers. When asked about the school’s time at Carney Hospital, he simply said “We were glad to get out of there.” In his time, Brad has also established a cornerstone of the El Sistema program: the spring composition project. Each year, he leads Upper School orchestra students in a multidisciplinary creative project focused on a different theme. Topics have included “We’ll Still Rise”, “Power of Protest,” and “Identity Unmasked.” Blending poetry, visual art, and student-composed music, it is a consistently moving and poignant moment of the year for students and audiences alike.
Brad named Josué González as his favorite coworker in his early years at Conservatory Lab. We reached out to Josué, now the Vice President of Education and External Engagement at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and asked about his time teaching with Brad. He said:
“Over the seven years that I worked with Dr. Barrett, he proved himself to be an incredibly talented artist, and a dedicated teacher whose approach unlocked abilities in students far beyond what I thought possible for their age.
Often, Brad would call me into his classroom to marvel at a particular skill or technique his students were developing, something I would have considered well beyond their age or experience. What was remarkable was that, while I might have viewed these accomplishments as exceptional, Brad treated them as his students simply rising to the expectations he had set for them.
Working with Brad taught me something I have carried with me ever since: too often, it is adults who place artificial limits on what young people are capable of achieving.
Conservatory Lab is fortunate to have Dr. Barrett and I wish him and his students all the best this school year!”
Inspiration is key for artists. Brad’s three favorite albums? “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust” by David Bowie, “Live at the Pershing” by the Ahmad Jamal Trio, and “Purple Rain” by Prince. He hopes that in the coming years students will get to perform an arrangement of a song from Bad Bunny’s album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”
Brad’s proudest moment? “The length of my tenure.” We think it’s pretty special, too.
Thank you, Brad, for your commitment to Conservatory Lab and to our students!
You can see videos of the student compositions discussed in this story at bradbarrettbass.com/teaching.