By Michael Boo
Brian and Scott Radock are amazing percussionists from an amazing family of musicians. They were both one and two in the blind audition process for the BOA Honor Band and Honor Orchestra. Senior Brian was selected to be Principal percussionist and timpanist for the Honor Band and sophomore Scott the same for the Honor Orchestra. This was the third year that Brian had been selected for the Honor Band.
Both Brian and Scott attend Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida. Their father, Bob Radock, is involved in the music business as Manager of Youth Talent Programs for Disney. He coordinates music festivals for Disney and is president of a Florida arts alliance group that works with schools. Their mother, Beth Gottlieb, is Professor of Percussion at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, and their step dad is Danny Gottlieb, famed as a freelance solo percussionist, a drummer for the early days of the Pat Metheny Group and renowned as a studio and performing artist who is in demand around the world.
Bob Radock, Beth and Danny Gottlieb all attended the National Concert Band Festival to support Brian and Scott and enjoy Saturday evening’s concert, along with their maternal grandparents and an aunt and uncle. Their grandmother is a piano teacher in Florida, making for three generations of family music-makers at the National Concert Band Festival.
Scott had only a few minutes to talk before running off to an Honor Orchestra rehearsal:
It’s quite an inspiration living in a family with two professional percussionists. They both help me to push myself and do my best. It’s quite indescribable…there’s a constant motivation. We’re taught the right technique from the start.
I like seeing all these professional clinicians and percussionists at the BOA Festival. It makes me want to practice more and become a professional percussionist when I grow up…it sets me in my path. I figure if I can make a national organization like this, I can make it as a professional.
I have no problem being in Honor Orchestra while my brother is in the Honor Band. We both get the best parts. I just love playing and the orchestra sounds great.
Brian continued after Scott left for rehearsal:
My parents never pushed me to be a percussionist. I have vivid memories of watching my mom play the marimba and wishing I could do that some day. I just love playing. My dad, being a former band director, had always taught me to pursue excellence in whatever I do. He taught me to always have ambition and get more out of life; especially music.
They’ve never pushed me to practice. They told me to do what I want, so I ended up working myself. I never had private lessons from my mom, so I would push myself. Being that my mom is a music educator, my dad is involved in the music business and my step dad is a freelance performer, I have three different models to look up to in music. I can ask each one how to handle a different part of music.
The wife of Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida, gives out arts scholarships every year. I won one of the music scholarships. Every other year they select the two highest scores for a special trip. I get to go to Japan for nine days, performing marimba. On Mar. 31, I get to perform in the Governor’s mansion.
I like being here at the BOA Festival because you start from scratch and in three days you come up with a great product. To work fluently with people you haven’t met before prepares one for the professional world. You’ve got to always be on your toes, waiting for the next thing to happen.
I’m going to Florida State University next year to major in music education. I now have six students that I teach each week.One of the most rewarding things for me is watching one of my students play a concert and come out beaming, knowing I was able to help them get to that level.
John Pollard is the Honor Band Percussion Coordinator, a band director at LD Bell HS in Dallas and a Yamaha clinician:
When Brian auditioned as a sophomore, he made the band and climbed up through the ranks. Scott made principal percussionist in orchestra his first year. Getting to know the family, the best thing about their approach is that music for them is not necessarily a career, it’s a way of life. Their house is a percussion studio. A lot of their friends come around and they have late night practice sessions. This is a poster family for percussion.
There’s a major emphasis on education and being well rounded. The reason the kids are so good is that they’ve had great role models. Sometimes performers think only performing is legitimate and those who can’t perform teach. I have no use for someone who has the greatest musical performing abilities but is closed to education. If they’re not willing to recognize those who pass on the gift, it’s a dead end. These kids recognize the value of music education.
