Ms. Angela Reeder has been Mead High’s musical accompanist for three years. She has been the district’s accompanist for ten years and has been playing the piano for 47 years, as well as being a full-time mom and a part-time travel agent.
Raised in the city of Waldron, Arkansas, Ms. Reeder began playing piano when she was eight and has fallen in love with music since then. She began to play piano in middle school and continued through college, accompanying her classes and fellow peers.
Unfortunately, at that time, the program she was in was not accredited, so she decided to major in pre-med microbiology but ended up switching to music because of her reignited passion for sound after being in the University of Arkansas marching band.
“I love everything about music because it makes varied individuals a family, and you get people from all walks of life. It creates a really great unifying bond.” Ms. Reeder shares how music can always bring people together, no matter what.
Throughout her journey in college, Ms. Reeder has had the most warm-hearted support from her family at all times.
“When I called to tell them I was switching my major to music, my dad was like, ‘I wondered why it was taking you so long,’ so they supported me all the time.”
Since then, Ms. Reeder has worked extremely hard to get to where she is today. While in the college marching band, she met her husband and eventually had her three children. SaraJo, Michael, and David Reeder. All of them attended or are attending Mead High School, following what they love most.
“I hope that they will pursue their dreams with as much gusto as they can muster. Even if it’s not what other people think they should be doing, [they should] do it because it’s their passion.”
Through tears, Ms. Reeder said that her favorite part about doing her job is her students. Although there can be some students who make her second guess herself, for the most part, she truly enjoys her job.
Besides work, Ms. Reeder enjoys traveling, cross-stitching, and being a full-time Disney fanatic.
Many people know that Ms. Reeder loves Disney. She has always admired and lived by Walt Disney’s motto of pursuing your dreams; it was her dad’s motto as well. Being from rural Arkansas, her family has always been told that they couldn’t do tough things. Disney made her and her family feel like they could achieve anything with the hard work they put in.
We can’t wait to spend many more years with Ms. Reeder, and from everyone in the music department, we would like to say thank you for all your hard work and to never stop following your dreams.
