Whiz Kid: Henry Moore

Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Henry Moore           

Whiz Kid’s Age: 17

Whiz Kid’s Grade: Senior                       

Whiz Kid’s School:

Whiz Kid’s Accomplishment: Henry Moore has been a pianist since he was seven years old. He’s done a few gigs with the Herb Moore Trio, performed with on Student Night at and is working on a second CD with last week’s Whiz Kid,

Whiz Kid’s Keys to Awesomeness:

Henry Moore has been playing piano since he was seven years old. He learned to play classical piano from his grandmother, and studied jazz under George Genna, a pianist, composer, and educator who spent the 1980s and 1990s serving as pianist and or musical director for various acts that included Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Chubby Checker, Tony Bennett, Regis Philbin, Donna Summer, and the Pointer Sisters, among others.

“I’m versatile,” said Moore, who said he can play the piano, any sort of mallet instrument and the drums, and he is in the middle of learning how to play the guitar.

He plays the organ and the piano at Assumption Church on a regular basis. He has also performed with his father and his group, the Herb Moore Trio, and sat in with the band Either Way during a Student Night at Barista’s recently.

He is in his fourth year with the Absegami High School Marching Band, has performed in the high school’s talent shows, and worked on the Drama Club’s production of “A Chorus Line” and is working on “White Christmas,” to be performed in December.

He’s also working on a CD of rearranged Christmas songs with Morgan Kirner titled, “Carols for a Cause.” They teamed up to create a 35-minute CD for the cause last year, and this year’s CD is longer and will feature more instruments.

“We raised enough money last year to give two charities $2,700 each,” Moore said.

The CDs are available at on the official Carols for a Cause Facebook Page or by approaching Moore, Kirner or their parents directly.

Kirner handles the singing and Moore arranges the music, which is something he would enjoy doing for a living.

“I’m more into composition and arranging,” said Moore, who added he could “always perform as a musician” on top of that.

To meet that end, he’s considering attending one of four music colleges, including the Berklee College of Music in Boston, the New England Conservatory in Boston, William Paterson, or the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

It shouldn’t be difficult for Moore to get accepted to any of those schools; he’s in the top five percent of students, academically, at Absegami.

“I have to keep up my school work to do everything else I want to do,” Moore said.