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For evidence of how the Mizzou New Music Initiative’s Creating Original Music Project can impact not just an aspiring songwriter/composer, but also a teacher, a school, and even a community, look no further than Galena, Missouri’s Brendan Rieth and his song “Pretty,” which earned second place in COMP’s High School Acoustic category.
Galena – population 455 as of the 2020 census – “is like, your picture-perfect definition of a rural small town,” says Drew Tate, the Music Director at Galena High School, the student body of which numbers around 200. “It’s very close-knit. So anytime this school or this community can get a win, it’s very celebrated.
“Everybody knows all the things the (bigger schools) in Southwest Missouri do, but nobody really talks or thinks about Galena. And then we’ve got this very talented student that wrote a song deemed the second best in his category in Missouri? That’s crazy. That’s so cool.”
Brendan Rieth is a 17-year-old sophomore at Galena High School who says he was “born in music” – his father and uncle are musicians – “but I didn’t really start playing guitar, getting passionate about it til I was, like, 10 years old.”
He started writing songs a year or so ago, and says he’s written “eight songs that I can think of right now,” one of which is “Pretty.”
It’s a love song, “but it’s not really about anyone,” Brendan says. “I’m kind of a geek when it comes to love songs, so it’s just (about), like, a feeling you have.”
In addition to his primary instrument – guitar – Brendan also plays bass, piano, and “a little bit of drums, a little clarinet.” He’s an athlete as well, playing basketball, baseball, and running track for Galena High’s Bears.
In addition to marching and concert band, Tate, who is in his fourth year as Music Director at Galena, offers his students a rock band project to perform at pep assemblies and a music technology class to learn about production, making beats, etc. If that weren’t enough, he’s the coach of the eSports team and an assistant coach for the track team.
He first heard about COMP last year, albeit not soon enough for his students to enter.
“We had students last year and the year before that were doing original music and writing songs but didn’t have anything put together in time,” he says. “And I was like, all right, now that I know this exists, let’s dig in next year and focus on this.”
Brendan and his friends had some songs they felt were ready, so Tate helped record them. Initially, “Pretty” was an acoustic song – just guitar and vocals – “but Brendan was like, ‘What if I added a little bit of drums and bass and stuff?” Tate says.
Along with four friends, Brendan formed a band called the Green Hoods. “It sounds weird,” he admits, “but one day we were trying to figure out a name for the band and everyone was wearing green hoodies and we thought that was funny. So that was it.”
The band has performed in their hometown as well as in Springfield and Branson.
When he plays “Pretty” at the COMP festival on April 19 in the Sinquefield Music Center’s Sheryl Crow Hall, he’s bringing the band with him. The concert will be livestreamed through the University of Missouri’s Youtube Channel.
“The road trips, they’re super fun,” he says. “My band is really fun to be around. They’re all, like, really cool people and the car rides are awesome. It’s just all really, really fun.”
You can read more about MNMI’s COMP Project and this year’s winners and Festival here.
To stay up to date with all MNMI announcements, follow them on Instagram and Facebook: @MizzouNewMusic