Elizabeth Regan, The Day, New London, Conn.
·4 min read
Jun. 5—Editor's note: The Day publishes an annual series of stories spotlighting outstanding seniors graduating from the region's 16 public and private high schools.
East Lyme ― Dylan Rodgers is just a humble marimba player.
At least that's what you might think if you asked the East Lyme High School senior, who is set to attend Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music in the fall, to talk about himself. He'd tell you about his love for music, family and friends. He'd express gratitude for everyone who helped him get where he is.
He might also say, like he said in an interview earlier this month, that he's eager to attend college with people who are "insanely good" at music and who have just the same amount of love for music as he does.
"Every single person there is incredible at what they're doing," he said. "You might be the best in your entire high school. You may be a child prodigy. But when you walk onto campus at Berklee, you are suddenly average."
It's only when asked how good he considers himself at his craft that it becomes clear Dylan Rodgers is not simply an unassuming percussionist. His high school years ― during which he overcame the triple whammy of the pandemic, a house fire and spinal surgery ― have helped him to be more confident than that.
"I want to be humble and say 'I'm definitely going to walk on campus and be average,'" he said. "But I feel I've worked hard to get where I am today. And I think getting into Berklee, showing my talent, is enough for me to say I'm a good musician."
Rodgers comes to his interest in music naturally, with brother Owen having graduated last year from Berklee with a degree in film scoring. In a riff on his brother's chosen vocation, Rodgers said he would love to design music for video games.
Their father, Bruce Rodgers, played the drums in the Texas Tech University marching band before going on to produce entertainment industry spectacles ranging from music festivals and Cirque du Soleil performances to numerous Super Bowl halftime shows. Mother Shelley Rodgers and sister Lily Rodgers also work under the successful Tribe, Inc. brand.
Growing confidence
Rodgers recounted starting ninth grade as an introverted kid. Despite having participated in the high school band for two years thanks to his older brother's connections, he found himself largely keeping to himself. But a house fire at the end of his freshman year helped him realize how important friends can be.
The family, who moved from Los Angeles to Salem shortly before Rodgers was born, were home asleep the night the fire broke out on their front porch in June 2021. They escaped safely after their barking dog alerted them, but were displaced in a hotel and then a rental in the Black Point area of Niantic for nine months before returning to a refurbished home.
"I like to think it served as sort of a reality check," he said. "That happened to us, and we got out and we survived. No one was hurt. It serves as a back-of-the-mind thought to always appreciate what we have."
His next reality check came less than a year later in the form of surgery at Connecticut Children's Hospital in Hartford to correct a curve in his spine. Five days in the hospital was followed by about a month of recuperation during which he kept up with his classwork from home "as if it was COVID again."
He credited family, teachers and a growing group of friends with helping him get through those tough times and for being there to lean on.
"I think that led me to being a little less of an introverted person, though I still am a little bit today," he said. "I think I am able to open up to people a little bit more and talk to people a lot more and be more social."
By the time his senior year rolled around, carrying with it the all-important Berklee audition, he was confident enough to perform a test run in front of music teacher Justin Daly and some fellow band students who were hanging around in the music room after school.
Daly in a phone interview recalled the impromptu performance, which he said he encourages in students who are preparing for college and other high profile auditions.
"He did extremely well," Daly said. "He's such a well-versed musician and he comes from a musical family. He has that natural ability we all strive for."
Daly was among those who described Rodgers as humble despite his considerable talent.
"He could very well be arrogant," he said. "And honestly, it's very good for him to be humble because the music world is very small and everybody knows everybody."
Rodgers remembered the eyes on him that day as he put four mallets to the wooden bars of the marimba for an arrangement of the Beatles' "Yesterday." He described it as an exercise in staying calm under pressure. After all the practice he put in, the only thing left to do was convince himself he'd be OK when it came time to perform.
"And I was perfectly OK," he said.
e.regan@theday.com
