By Shanlee Bratten ‘15
Bradley alumnus Richard Maxwell ’93 was one of 10 final nominees for the 2015 Grammy Music Educator award. He was nominated by his students for creating the Contemporary Music and Sound Program at Arcadia High School in Phoenix, Arizona.
“I need a word stronger than ‘amazed’ or ‘humbled’ or ‘honored,’” Maxwell said.
He was chosen from more than 7,000 nominations, passed quarterfinals and semifinals before being selected as one of the 10 finalists.
“To be honest, I was stunned each time I was moved on to the next step,” he says.
Maxwell was the first music composition major to graduate from Bradley.
“My experiences at Bradley shaped my view of music and music education in ways that I am still exploring. It’s where I first began to really explore the use of technology in music.”
Maxwell has a master’s degree from the University of Arizona in conducting and spent 10 years as a band and orchestra conductor before initiating the groundbreaking music program at Arcadia.
His passion for conducting and his interest in current music styles brought him to the concept for the Contemporary Music and Sound Program. The program operates like an independent record label, but is run totally by the students.
“I have students working on original orchestral scores, next to those working on aggressive Metal songs, next to hip-hop, next to jazz, country and so on,” Maxwell said. “It validates them on a deep, creative level.”
He started the program to find a way to align music education with the current music industry, and the program is easily integrated into traditional music programs.
“In places where music programs are getting cut, it offers a real option to keep music in schools,” he said.
Maxwell’s nomination brought well-deserved attention to him, his students and the Contemporary Music and Sound program. “We got a tremendous amount of publicity for the students and all their work, and, honestly, that has made this more than worth it to me,” he said.
Maxwell is constantly working on music of his own and is even writing a book titled “I’ve Come to Kill Your Music Program: Essays on a Journey to Align Music Education with the Music Industry” to teach music educators how to implement his program.
“I feel like I’m just getting started,” he said.
