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Accordion-playing judge uses music to overcome personal tragedy
Barberton Municipal Court Judge Todd M. McKenney enjoys playing the accordion at courthouse weddings and other events. His most recent gig was at Kave Coffee Bar in Barberton as the featured player with the Scriptless in Seattle improv group. The group performed March 7 at Kave Coffee Bar in Barberton. Top row: Judge Todd McKenney, Justin Folger, Matthew Riordan, Claudia Insalaco Bottom row: James Trombka, Eli Popic(Photo courtesy of Scriptless in Seattle).
TRACEY BLAIR
Legal News Reporter
Published: April 9, 2020
Barberton Municipal Court Judge Todd M. McKenney often describes what he does on the bench as improvisational theatre.
“Improv is similar to being a judge because you’re always changing to the facts being presented to you,” he said. “I’ve joked that I’ll stand on my head and look cross-eyed at you if that’s what it takes to get you to live a different kind of life.”
McKenney recently got the chance to put his improv skills to the test in a different arena.
On March 7, McKenney performed with the Scriptless in Seattle group at Kave Coffee Bar in Barberton at Improv Comedy Night as the featured accordion player. Scriptless in Seattle is comprised of eight rotating cast members who perform sketches on the spot based on suggestions from the audience present.
He started taking accordion lessons in his late 30s from the late famed Akron teacher Gordon Shafffer to accompany his wife, Bethany, a singer / guitarist, and the instrument continues to be a passion.
“The accordion is a great accompanying instrument,” the judge said. “My wife and I have played in church and in a Scottish bell choir and at different small events. The improv group reached out to me a few months ago. I wasn’t able to attend any rehearsals because my son was sick, so the performance really was improv for me.”
The couple’s 18-year-old son, Nathan, was hospitalized March 2 with a collapsed lung and a severe case of the flu. Nathan was released from Akron Children’s Hospital March 8 – the day after McKenney’s performance.
Bethany McKenney is a nurse and Summit County councilwoman.
Fifteen years ago, the couple lost their youngest child, 14-month-old Noah, who had contracted the flu while undergoing chemotherapy treatments for brain cancer.
“Nathan is doing so much better. After two days on the ventilator, he recovered and we’re just very grateful,” McKenney said. “I was amazed by my wife. She is so passionate about praying and is so caring. She never left his side.”
Meanwhile, the judge said the accordion has been a nice outlet for him over the years.
“Steve Martin said, ‘You can’t be sad when you’re playing the banjo.’ That’s even more true of the accordion,” McKenney said.
At the Kave event, McKenney was featured in half of the skits. A crowd of about 45 people watched the group despite a forecast for heavy snow. His favorite was a segment called “Freeze” in which the actors had to change up the story on the spot each time he banged the gavel.
He also played the accordion during a musical chair game. Whoever was left without a chair had to do an improv..
“A couple of the audience members were really good – they would add to it,” McKenney said. “I would love to do it again if they’d have me. You have to think so fast.”
Scriptless in Seattle Group Manager/Performer Justin Folger said McKenney did not disappoint.
“We had intended to do a few normal sketches with him as well as some that featured his accordion playing skill,” Folger said. “Then, we found out about his son both from him and an article in the Akron Beacon Journal. He was able to perform the show and the audience perhaps loved him the most of all of us! This didn't surprise us one bit. In the few hours we were able to interact with him, we found him to be one of the nicest men you'll ever meet.”
Folger added that the group normally puts out a tip jar to offset the cost of putting on the show. After learning about his son, the group decided to give the contents of the jar to help with medical costs.
“However, he informed us that as a public figure, he can't take any monetary donations,” Folger said.
As a judge, McKenney said he is more interested with understanding why people do what they do to help inspire them to make better choices than in punishment.
“Punishment only works sometimes,” he said. “The people who will get jail time pretty quickly from me are those who say, ‘Yeah, I did it and I don’t care.’ “
McKenney offers to play the accordion for courthouse weddings on Fridays and is thrilled when couples take him up on it.
“I’ve often joked that the accordion is a form of alternative punishment if you don’t follow the rules,” he said with a laugh.