Meet the Students

Twins Kevin and Kyle came by their musical talent naturally. Their grandfather, a native of Ghana, was musical, and so was their mother, who encouraged her boys to begin piano lessons at the age of six.

Since then, their musical skills have expanded and diverged. At Andover, Kyle plays piano, clarinet, and drums; Kevin, piano, bass guitar, and alto and tenor sax. Both played in the school's concert band, but Kevin also played in the Jazz Band while Kyle joined the orchestra. Music 220 class got them both interested in composing. “Our music is based on rock, but because of the kinds of instruments it's played on, it comes out sounding jazzy,” says Kevin. The brothers have their own rock band, consisting of four members. The band participated in the “Battle of the Bands” competition held annually on campus. “We didn't win, but performing was awesome,” says Kyle.

Always up for a challenge, the brothers applied for and received an Abbot grant, which they will use to refurbish the Segal Room-considered the “Rock Room”-in Graves Hall, the music department's home. They're also board members of a new student club that promotes the writing and arranging of students' own music to record on CDs.

While both Kyle and Kevin share a love of music and are constant companions, they don't always walk the same path. Kyle, for example, is studying Chinese while Kevin is studying Russian. Last summer those interests took them in separate directions as Kyle traveled to China and Kevin to Russia, where they each got to study the languages and culture respective of two very different countries.