STORY BY NICOLE IUZZOLINO
ILLUSTRATION BY SYDNEY KYSAR
A large, wooden, out-of-tune piano sat in Chris’s home on Long Island for a majority of his childhood. He was always banging on the old keys of the piano, which prompted his mother to sign him up for music lessons.
“I originally wanted to play Alto Saxophone, but there was a test where you are given a piece of paper with two saxophone icons on the edge. If your pinky and thumb could reach those icons, then your hand was ‘big enough’ to play the instrument.”
At the time Chris’s hands were too small to pass the test. He was given the clarinet, the instrument he continues to play to this day. He recalls his musical journey before high school as being a great one, and looks fondly on the time spent in waiting rooms before playing with his friends.
Chris attended an all-boys private school in Mineola, NY. It’s a Catholic school with a long list of alumni and a prestigious reputation, but Chris felt like he didn’t quite fit in. When he was younger, Chris went to a very diverse middle school. Once he began attending Chaminade, he was around one of six African-American students in his graduating class. “I had to deal with some things that exposed me to levels of discrimination, which was kind of strange at first.” During this time, Chris put everything into his clarinet, as it was something he cared so much about, allowing his musical abilities to progress.
The marching band at Marist helped Chris find that unique sense of community he hadn’t felt before. Doing field drills for football games as a freshman was bewildering.“Everyone was super welcoming and they all got really excited to help out the new freshman. I never felt like I was alone.”
At Marist, there is no music major, and the band is only considered a club on paper. Chris commented on how it creates a great dynamic of people who want to pursue music in their future alongside those who are just passionate about it. To become more involved, students will join a number of clubs and organizations within the music department; for Chris, this included the Symphonic, Marching, and Pep Bands, the Wind Symphony, the Brass Ensemble and the Hand-bell Choir, among others.
In the spring of his junior year at Marist, Chris decided to try out for the Enharmonics, a coed-acapella group on campus. “An Enharmonic in music is represented by two or more musical notes that are different on the sheet, but produce the same sound when played or sung. We really reframe that idea of musical difference.” He laughed while explaining how everyone was pushing him to try out, even though he had no past vocal-choir experience. “I branded myself as a shower singer.” Chris loved the challenge of something new and he loves progressing alongside the “group of diverse individuals performing together to make a beautiful sound as one unit.”
Through the Focus program, designed for undeclared students, Chris learned a lot about the field of social work, and loved the idea of being an advocate for others and going the extra mile to help them in times of need. “Putting other people before myself was something I was always very used to, and I was able to embody the values I have had since I was a kid with social work.”
Once he started pursuing a Social Work major, Chris’s passion for the field never wavered. “I always felt like this was it.” He is also considering earning a music therapy certificate, to incorporate music into his career. “No matter what though, I see myself being in some community band, because I don’t want playing music to just fizzle out completely.”
Chris interned with Family Services in Poughkeepsie for the totality of his senior year. Most of the responsibilities included assisting case managers with client-related services, such as helping clients with referrals to different agencies around the area, making medical transport calls and getting appointments scheduled through the Dutchess County HELPLINE. Chris highlighted one of his biggest takeaways from the internship thusfar: “Every situation is going to be different. Learning to be adaptable is very much cherished in this field, and so is being able to make people feel very comfortable.”
Chris also served out his senior year as the president of Kappa Kappa Psi, one of two coed service-based organizations that assist college and university bands. “A lot of the people who were more dedicated to the program and stood out as leaders of the band were people that I connected with very quickly.”
One of Chris’s many talents is working with people. His friendly charisma has earned him more friends than once could count.“It would be a fun experiment if you would stand outside the music building, keep a tally sheet, and ask everyone who walks by ‘do you know Chris Bedard?’ It’s a little joke in the band but it shows the impact he has on this campus,” Theresa Romaniec, band-mate and friend, said. “One time before camp our boss called his name in front of hundreds, the room was roaring with cheers. Wait for senior recognition. That room will be ballistic.”
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