Ian Kenney

Ian Kenney is a 2013 graduate with Distinction from the Penn State School of Music, striving to bring a diverse musical background to the field of music education. He has served as the Band Director for five years at Sussex Technical High School in Georgetown, Delaware. Under his direction, his bands have performed at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the 255th New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade, and at Walt Disney World. Recent graduates from his music program currently serve as section leaders in university marching bands at Rutgers University and the University of Florida. Additionally, his students have been accepted to pursue degrees in music at the Berklee College of Music, the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, West Virginia University, the University of Delaware, and Drexel University. 

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Prior to Sussex Tech, Mr. Kenney served for three years as Drum Major of the Pennsylvania State University Marching Blue Band, a staff member for the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy, and three years of experience as the community education music instructor and drill designer for the Wallenpaupack Area School District. He is a frequent performer as a bass guitarist and tubist, a student of classical voice at the collegiate level, and a strong advocate of music technology.

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During his undergraduate study in the Bachelor of Music Education program at the Pennsylvania State University, he appeared as a vocal soloist with the Penn State Concert Choir, University Choir, and Glee Club. Throughout eight semesters of private voice study with tenor Richard Kennedy at Penn State, he performed vocal repertoire in the languages of English, Italian, German, and French, including diction courses. His vocal works ranged from the 14th to 20th century. He most frequently performed the works of Reynaldo Hahn, Gabriel Fauré, Robert Schumann, and Roger Quilter.

 

As an instrumentalist, he performed in the Penn State Blue Band for two seasons as a sousaphone player, which included a performance in the Tournament of Roses Parade and the 75th Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, California, before he was appointed as the Drum Major of the organization in 2010. He served as Drum Major for the band's performances at the 2010 Outback Bowl (Tampa Bay, FL) and 2011 TicketCity Bowl (Dallas, TX). He also participated in the Penn State Concert Band, and has performed on tuba in other small ensembles.

 

In additional to his vocal and instrumental study, Ian has extensive experience across many other genres of music ranging from R&B, jazz, and funk, to rock, indie, and modern top 40. A bass guitarist since 2003, he has performed with multiple original and cover bands. He performed as bassist and lead vocalist for Public Domain, a professional cover band in State College, PA, including a performance at the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (better known as THON) in the Bryce Jordan Center in 2013. Ian also has experience in recording studios, most notably recording at the Soundmine Recording facility in Marshalls Creek, PA, and with engineer and producer Bryan J. Anthony in Catasauqua, PA. This collection of experiences has given him valuable knowledge and insight into modern music performance, technology, engineering, and production.

 

Kenney intends to pursue a Masters degree in Wind Band Conducting, and potentially, a Doctorate in Music Education, Educational Administration, or Educational Leadership.