Schools
Kincaid Music Teacher Writes Original Musical
Music teacher Pete Bush conceived the rock musical, "The Grim Twins," that purveys an important message about bullying and the acceptance of others.
annual musical production for 2012 strayed from the norm. Music teacher Pete Bush wasn't satisifed with the usual choices.
“The plays we have to choose from each year are very expensive to produce due to fees paid to the copyright owners,” said Bush. “Many of these plays are also either too young or too old for the students who perform in them. That’s why last year, I decided to write something original and more towards what’s going on in the world today.”
, a play originally written and scored by Bush, Kincaid technology teach Marchelle Studstill and local composer and musician Jim Chabucos, was born.
Bush, a professionally trained actor and performer hailing from New Jersey, has been a Northeast Cobb resident for eight years and the music teacher at Kincaid for the past seven. His inspiration for The Grim Twins was to challenge himself and his students to create something new and different that would not only be of benefit to Kincaid, but the community as well.
"The play is a modern American fable set to rock music with shades of Tim Burton meets Harry Potter thrown in,” he said.
Set in Salem, MA, the storyline follows the tale of two twin siblings who are sent to an exclusive private school after the mysterious death of their parents. The twins, who possess supernatural powers, soon become the subjects of the other students disdain.
Ignoring the negativity of the situation, the twins decide to invite all the other students to their birthday party, which causes those attending to “turn the other cheek." All except for one, however.
Not wanting to be too “preachy” about the underlying message of the play, Bush said that the main focus is the importance of “finding your own voice and knowing what you stand for.”
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Bush credits volunteers who helped create the sets and costumes, as well as local high school students who worked with the kids on their singing and dancing parts.
Along with the dedication of Studstill and Chabucos, Bush places much of the musical's success with the students involved with its production. “The Honor Chorus students really put their own breath of life into the words and message, as well as dedicating vast amounts of time in rehearsals.”
Bush and the students of the Honor Chorus have completed a CD compilation of the songs sung in the musical. Licensing of The Grim Twins is also in the works, which will make it available for use by other schools.