Orchestra Teacher Adam Keda Moonlights as a Postmates Driver

Photo by Izzy Zanone

Multimedia by Donna Kay

Before the end of fourth hour, orchestra teacher Adam Keda is a musical director on the timbres of cellos and the vibrations of violins. After that he logs onto the Postmates app and transforms his 2016 Nissan Altima into a Postmates delivery vehicle during many of his evenings and weekends.

After a friend, who is also a music director in a different district, recommended the job to him because she and her husband are both drivers, Keda became a registered Postmates driver last February – simply another way for Keda to make money when not at East.

But, the deliveries became fun for Keda, an easy way to make extra cash while running errands or during vacations from school.

“In the beginning I was doing it all the time, it was almost like a fun new just thing to do,” Keda said. “It was a fun challenge to see how many deliveries you could do in a night or how many you could do in a week.”

Keda has never run into any students or famous people, but reads about those who do frequently in the “Kansas City Postmates Couriers” private Facebook group. Keda knows a fellow driver who delivered to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

In addition to the recommendation, Keda chose Postmates over similar services like Uber, due to not wanting to have strangers in his car

“This is safer [than Uber] in that you are going to businesses and going to houses,” Keda said. “Sometimes you get sent to a sketchy area but I haven't had any issues.”

The last time Keda was sent to "that one street you don't want to be sent to," he couldn't find the house. Without the aid of streetlights, he was left to walk aimlessly in the pitch black. Keda ran back to his car after he delivered the food.

But he’s not always running away from a delivery, and Keda’s gig as a Postmates driver is something he can easily balance with his work as the orchestra director.

“You can really just do it whenever, just sign on and sign off, it’s very flexible,” Keda said.

Keda has only mentioned his second job a few times during orchestra class, telling them of his stories from the night before, which, according to Keda, always leads to them talking about their favorite restaurants and wanting to request him as a driver.

“It would be funny if he ever delivered to me, and I would be sure to tip well,” senior violinist Grace Kenney said.

Fellow classmate Stuart Hanson also knew of Keda’s second job as a driver and thinks it is sad he has to have the second job.

“It’s sad that the education system in Kansas can’t afford to pay their teachers enough to the point of needing a second job,” Hanson said