Schools

McCluer Alum Comes Back to His Musical Roots

Trumpeter Keyon Harrold visited his alma mater Friday while he is in town for Michael Jackson: The Immortal.

If you’ve heard the horn section of artist Maxwell’s BLACKSummer’s Night or on Jay-Z’s song, American Gangster, you’ve probably heard the work of alumnus Keyon Harrold.

Trumpet player Keyon Harrold has traveled the world with a number of world-famous artist, and he’s returned to the St. Louis area as a performer in the Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. The tour will be performing at the Scottrade Center Tuesday and Wednesday.

“I’m honored to be selected on horns for this tour with Mike Phillips,” he said. “It’s Michael’s tour; the only thing missing is him. I’m having a party (on stage). It’s a party inside a party.”

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In walking the hallways of McCluer, he said a lot looks the same and he was happy to be back. He stopped along the way to give a number of hugs and smiles to former teachers.

“We knew he was going to be big when he left here,” McCluer office manager Eileen Banden said.

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Harrold grew up in Ferguson and said music was in his blood as his mother and sisters sang and his father played instruments. He started playing the trumpet when he was 6 years old.

In high school, he chose to go to a music camp in Vail, CO, which put him onto a musical road. There, he got the chance to meet and continue to practice with Wynton Marsalis for two years.

From there, he also earned a chance to be involved with the Grammy Foundation and was selected to be a part of the Grammy All-American Jazz Band.

After graduating from McCluer in 1999, he attended and graduated from New School University, where he studied jazz.

Since then, Harrold has traveled the world and worked with some of the biggest names in music, including LL Cool J, Maxwell, Chaka Khan and Common.

Friday, Harrold visited former teachers as well as several students in the arts program at McCluer.

“What I like about this moment is you haven’t forgotten your roots,” Ellenmaria Wilcox, the music department chair, told him.

Several students were in awe of Harrold’s appearance.

“You’re a really big inspiration to me,” senior Eric Williams told Harrold at a roundtable meeting. “Someone from here made it big, and I want to do the same.”


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