Math teacher James McNeilly and Spanish teacher Jason Tierney are playing music on Fridays to engage and unite the Masconomet school community.
McNeilly and Tierney have been trying to make the culture at the school more positive.
“Mr. McNeilly and I were having a conversation about how the vibrant culture of high school has been slow to return from the days of COVID and since the proliferation of attention-grabbing social media,” said Tierney. “We are both third-floor dwellers, and we both play guitar. I approached him and asked him if he’d be interested in helping to bring some positive culture to our school by playing together on a random Friday morning in October.”
Both McNeilly and Tierney are optimistic that their random act will bring smiles to the faces of both students and faculty.
“The goal is to inject some positive energy into the building. We’ve had numerous people stop and listen, or message us or talk to us about how much they appreciate what we’re doing. We want to show our faculty and our students that they shouldn’t sit back and hope for someone else to make change,” said Tierney. “They can also take the reins of their own experiences and make big changes with small actions.”
Tierney and McNeilly give students positivity, and listening to their music helps them get through the day.
“When I wake up in the morning, it can be very challenging to be motivated. Their music brings a very positive vibe that lightens up the mood and gives me a reason to enjoy school,” said senior Jeremiah Garcia.
Not only this, but Tierney and McNeilly have an additional goal to help raise money for school activities.
“We have used it as a fundraising platform. We made over $50 for a fundraiser that the EMT class and DECA were co-running for pediatric hospice patients,” said Tierney.
McNeilly and Tierney play their music to influence students to be themselves.
“We want to show students that it is not only okay, but fun, to put yourself out there and share your abilities with the world. It is okay to attract attention and do your thing,” said McNeilly.
Tierney and McNeilly have some similarities in music taste.
“We didn’t even have a plan the first day that we played. We showed up and asked each other, ‘do you know…?’ Turns out we know a lot of the same music. Lots of classic rock and pop, Beatles, Talking Heads, Neil Young, Oasis, but also some more recent stuff and even original songs that we have written,” said Tierney.
When they play music, Tierney and McNeilly play different genres as well as music they have written.
“We play mostly modern alt-rock, country, and some older songs that we have studied. We both write our own music as well, though this has not been played frequently in the halls,” said McNeilly. “My music is on Spotify as James Neil, and I just put out an album. Profe Tierney has been writing more frequently and has created several songs over the years.”
McNeilly and Tierney have included others in playing music with them.
“We have several people interested in joining us. Some other third-floor dwellers have expressed interest, one who you might see in the coming weeks. Also, a couple of surprise guests who may come to sing for us, too. All in all, we don’t want this to be our show,” said Tierney. “We want to encourage anyone who would like to, faculty and students alike, to perform. If anyone is interested, they can reach out.”
The teachers made some holiday plans as well.
“So far, we have only played on Fridays in an effort to make it special. I had heard a report that Profe may have learned some holiday songs on guitar, and we both would be singing,” said McNeilly.
Tierney and McNeilly are great at performing music, and they are succeeding at improving the community.
“I think they are both talented performers; it is very kind of them,” said English teacher Mellisa Stanley.