Graduate Finds His Rhythm During COVID

“During COVID, it was really an opportunity for me to play more, because through elementary and middle school, I was a big sports guy,” said Sebastian. “I kind of just played music as a hobby, so if COVID didn't happen, I think I would probably still consider myself more of an athlete.”

Though certainly no novice on the playing fields — he was a member of the JV boys’ soccer and rec ski teams during his time at KUA — Sebastian said he realized his calling as a musician not long after arriving on The Hilltop. He credits former instrumental music teacher Demitrios Papadopoulos for encouraging him to try out for the school’s jazz band, in turn introducing him to a genre of music that’s been a major influence in his musical development.

The recent graduate and now established drummer will head to the Berkley College of Music in Boston this fall where he plans to major in performing arts and, one day, become a touring musician.

That’s not to say Sebastian hasn’t always had an appreciation for variety. Growing up, he said it wasn’t uncommon for his parents and Brazilian grandfather to serenade the household with blues and bossa nova CDs, instilling an early appreciation for how differing tempos and time signatures can impact the mood of a song.

And it wasn’t always drums, either. Keen said he had stints with a few other instruments before realizing, as early as kindergarten, that he preferred percussion.

“My mom's approach was to kind of force us to do everything at least once, and if we liked something, we could stick with it,” said Keen, who followed his sibling Pip ’24 and Mother Andrea Bueno Keen ’89 to KUA. “I guess drums was just my favorite. I played guitar and piano for a very short time, but I just really loved drums for some reason.”

Keen’s drumming experience began on a toy kit constructed of plastic buckets before upgrading to a practice pad and, eventually, a full-size snare drum. Then, when he was about 10 years old, he was gifted his first drum set.

When he arrived on The Hilltop as a first-year student, Keen said he was an intermediate drummer following years of lessons with the Upper Valley Music Center. But it wasn’t until a Flick Gig – campus performances by visiting artists – where Sebastian met the person who’d take him from good to great.

“Toward the end of the year, the Impulse Three played. It was a jazz trio made up of a piano, bass, and drums, and it was an incredible concert,” Keen recalled. “They were some of the best musicians in the Upper Valley and they played some amazing, amazing music.”

After the concert, Papadopoulos prompted Keen to talk to the band’s drummer, who ultimately became his teacher, helping him refine his skills through countless hours of practice and performances.

Keen played his first paid gig the summer prior to his sophomore year at KUA and has sat in with several established groups throughout New England. Through networking, those opportunities to perform have only become more frequent, putting him one step closer to reaching his goal of becoming — at least for a time — a touring musician.

“I know a lot of musicians who have gone on world tours and it's a lot of work for not as much pay as you'd expect, especially if you're not like a frontman for a band,” Keen said. “Just the experience of it though — I think I would really like to tour at some point in my life. But honestly, just being someone who maybe works at an institution like a university while gigging around a lot, and just having a stable family life, I think that’s something I’ll eventually want.”

When he’s not on gigs, tied up with schoolwork, or satisfying his athletic itch on the playing field or slopes, Keen said he enjoys sharing his passion of music with kids. He volunteers regularly at the nearby Plainfield Elementary School, helping the school’s music director provide more individualized instruction to students.

Going forward, Sebastian said he will miss life on The Hilltop and the ability to perform in front of his friends during All School Meetings and concerts in the Flickinger Auditorium. That said, he admitted he’s excited to meet people at Berkley who share his deep love of music, though he’s hopeful his future classmates will have other passions as well.

“I've been surrounded by a very diverse group of people here and I love that,” adding that he’s never had a problem finding people interested in talking about subjects other than music. “I’ve been surrounded by very supportive peers and faculty members. That’s what I’ll miss most about Kimball Union.”