Oracle Winter 2020

P A G E 4 , T H E A D E L P H I O R A C L E , W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 By: Susan Benjamin, Grade 11 Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn’s Winter 2020 production of The Adelphian Masqu- ers’ 5 Year Anniversary Show! featured an incredible 28 musical numbers, all per- formed by a live band and led by Adelphi’s Musical Director Mr. Bates. Recently, Mr. Bates sat down with the Oracle to discuss his love of theater and his unique experience as a Broadway per- former, as well as his time teaching music and math at Adelphi. Q: How long have you been part of the Adelphi family? A: This is my 16th year teaching at Adelphi Academy. Q: For how many productions have you served as Adelphi’s musical direc- tor? A: I have been the musical director for 12 productions in total, including the Anni- versary Show. Q: What is your favorite aspect about working here at Adelphi? A: My favorite aspect of working here is teaching both music and math to my stu- dents. Q: From which college did you gradu- ate and what was your major? A: I attended the University of St. Tho- mas in Houston, Texas and I received my bachelor's degree from Texas Southern University. I also attended LIU for my mas- ter’s degree. Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your experience as a performer on Broadway? A: Life on Broadway was very fun, but it was also very tiring because I was teach- ing and performing at the same time. But it was a tremendous experience to perform in front of audiences on the grandest stage of them all. Q: What is your favorite musical genre, and what is your favorite instrument? A: My favorite genre would have to be classical and my favorite instrument is the piano. Q: Are you able to incorporate math into music? If yes, in what ways? A: Yes, I am able to incorporate math into music because note values require math (quarter notes, half notes, etc.) and also we count notes all the time. Q: What was your favorite theatrical or musical production here at Adelphi? A: That is a very hard question because I loved all of them, but I would say the pro- duction of Grease was my favorite. Q: Was it challenging to incorporate music from so many different shows into one production? What was the experience like? A: No, it was not really a challenge be- cause I have performed all of the songs before. The experience was exciting be- cause I got to teach all the players in the band the songs, since some of them weren’t here for them all the first time around. Q&A: Adelphi’s Musical Director! Upper Schooler Susan asks Musical Director Mr. Bates about his experience on the set of The Adelphian Masquers’ 5 Year Anniversary Show! Mr. Bates (center) poses with members of The Adelphi House Band!