Donor Profile

For siblings Brigette Pierce ’96 and Gerald Pierce ’99, the many formative years they spent at Langley sparked a lifelong interest in music. So when their parents, Lola Reinsch (Pierce) and J. Almont Pierce, and grandmother, Dolores Reinsch, heard of Langley’s plans to build the Jeffrey J. Sherman Arts Center – a place that will inspire countless generations of students to excel in the arts – they wanted to join the fundraising campaign. The success of the Emerson G. Reinsch family’s 60-year-old construction and property management firm has enabled them to confirm their commitment with the sponsorship of the building’s new band room.

“Both of our children deeply benefited from Langley’s interdisciplinary approach to learning,” says Lola Reinsch. “They have a love of music and art because of the way the arts are woven into the curriculum at every level.”

The family speaks highly of Band Director Chuck Schmidt, who taught Brigette and Gerald during most of the four years they each spent in Langley’s band program. Brigette, who began piano lessons at age 4, played the flute in the Symphonic Band and piano/keyboard in the Jazz Band. Gerald learned trombone in the Symphonic Band and excelled on double bass and electric bass, instruments he took up at age 5, in the Jazz Band.

“Mr. Schmidt really gave both kids a first-rate, comprehensive music education,” says Al Pierce, who at one time was a professional flute and saxophone player himself. “We were thrilled to learn that practically all Langley students still participate in the band program, as they did when our children attended.” As a Langley parent and commercial architect, Al designed Langley’s current band room in the early ‘90s. “The band has now outgrown this space, and I’m glad our family could help provide an appropriate place for students to rehearse,” he says.

Thanks to the musical skill and passion they developed through private lessons, music theory, and the band program at Langley, Brigette and Gerald went on to join their high school marching and jazz bands (Brigette at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and Gerald at McLean High School). In fact, Brigette – who currently works for a large publishing company in New York – also played for four years in the Wake Forest University Flute Choir. Gerald, a third-year student at Georgia Tech majoring in architecture, also plays guitar, piano/keyboard, harmonica, and drums in various jazz/rock bands at school events and clubs in Atlanta.

Although music is their first love, both Brigette and Gerald enjoy art, thanks in part, their parents say, to the wonderful instruction they received at Langley. She makes elaborate scrapbooks and he paints and sells portraits by commission.

“Now, Brigette’s design of page compositions for weekly magazines and Gerald’s architectural work proves that both are utilizing the creative expression and leadership skills they gained through music and art,” Lola Reinsch says. “Our family will be forever grateful to Langley for nurturing and encouraging their creativity.”