Before they were known as Panda Bear and Deakin—core members of the pioneering experimental band Animal Collective—Noah Lennox and Josh Dibb were classmates at the Waldorf School of Baltimore.
Long before the global tours and acclaimed albums, the two friends were growing up in a school environment that nurtures creativity, individuality, and artistic exploration. Lennox spoke about his Waldorf roots saying, “There was a lot of drawing, a lot of painting, music all the time. There was a dance that Steiner created called eurhythmy… kids stayed in this dream world of imagination for as long as possible.”
The article goes on to tell the story of Josh Dibb, who joined the Waldorf School of Baltimore at the end of second grade after being homeschooled. That’s where he met Lennox—and a legendary friendship was born. “He struck me as special—a generic word to use, but he had these very attractive qualities,” Dibb recalls. “Good at athletics, very smart, already evidence of being creative. He was very gifted at anything physical, and I had two left feet.”
Their story is one of friendship, artistic risk-taking, and the power of a shared creative language that’s lasted through the years. For Waldorf educators, parents, and alumni, it’s a compelling reminder of how the seeds planted in early education can shape lifelong paths.
