West Roxbury's Connor Keehnle Showcases Musical Talents in Catholic Memorial’s Independent Studies Program

Catholic Memorial senior Connor Keehnle of West Roxbury spent the better part of a year studying music, songwriting and performance with CM’s Fine Arts chair Craig Spaner.

The results of his study were on display in the last month as he gave an individual performance of his “song cycle,” a group of original songs and creative interpretations of others arranged around a common theme. 

For Keehnle, that meant applying his own interpretation to 24 Beatles's songs from albums that spanned the Fab Four's discography. In between acoustic and electric performances on guitar, Keehnle performed a conversation with a disembodied Paul McCartney, whose advice on love and life was piped in from speakers surrounding him, as he recounted his own experiences growing up.

With McCartney's encouragement, Keehnle's narrative took the audience through the slings and arrows that befall the typical teen. And Keehnle, joined by band members - and his own Dad for one song - entertained with memorable performances of "If I fell," "In my life," "Let it be" and "Here comes the sun."

"It was a challenge for him, what he was tackling," said Spaner,  "but I am really impressed by what he's done. He's not just playing the music, he's interpreting it, and without sacrificing the integrity of the Beatles, but adding his own integrity into the tradition. It's been really cool to watch." 

Keehnle will continue his study of music and the arts next year at UMass-Amherst.

Spaner said that working with individual juniors and seniors on independent studies gives him insight into their world that he doesn't ordinarily acquire in a classroom setting. "In the arts, you really get to know the whole person and what motivates him," he said. "You learn a lot about who each student is and can help him show the community who he really is."

This article was submitted by Catholic Memorial.