Kevin Longwill, an accomplished musician and a music industry teacher for Abington School District, has been named to the Yamaha “40 Under 40” music education advocacy program for 2024.
The program honors educators who have grown and strengthened their music programs and showcases those who exemplify the following characteristics: action (anticipate what needs to be done and proactively take the necessary steps that lead to a stronger music program), courage (propose and implement new or bold ideas), creativity (show innovation and imagination in achieving plans and objectives) and growth (establish, grow or improve music education in their schools and communities).
Longwill has been chosen in part for starting Abington’s Modern Music Makers (M3) during the pandemic. M3 allowed students to make music by recording projects using a cloud-based digital audio workstation, then sharing them with others.
“At the time, it was an interesting concept, and many students gravitated toward it,” Longwill, a two-time Grammy-nominee, said. “When we resumed in-person learning, more students wanted to make and share music, but they wanted to do more like form performing ensembles or take the music they made to a new level with traditional recording, production and release.”
He also created the Modern Music Invitational, a venue where students could perform for their friends, family, and other schools. The show provides opportunities for non-performing students to showcase their skills at working a soundboard or handling performance elements like lighting, media, etc.
“While the show itself was a fantastic achievement, the additional opportunity to create masterclasses with industry professionals, including touring/recording musicians, audio engineers and music business professionals, proved to be really impactful for the students and their teachers,” Longwill said.
Longwill holds a Master’s degree in Music Technology (Production Track) from the University of Valley Forge, and Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Percussion Performance from Temple University. His post-graduate work has focused specifically on music technology and technology integration into classroom programs and music/education curricula, according to his website.
The full description of the honor can be found here.
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Photos: Yamaha.com, Kevinlongwill.com