The Music in Our Schools Month Thing

I am always passionate about music, especially when young people, from child prodigies like Emily Bear and Ethan Bortnick, to your neighborhood high school marching band, perform to crowds both intimate to public. I am not only a writer, blogger, and your normal retail store employee – I am a strong music advocate. I chose St. Cecelia as my confirmation saint because I am concerned about the state of music in our schools. As this month marks the silver jubilee of Music In Our Schools Month,  I remember the times when music became my lifeblood of my life back in my school days and how I can help rekindle my memories by pervading the gift of music throughout my resident Hillsborough County and even about elsewhere in the USA.

I went to a special education center, the Forum School in Waldwick, in my native Northern New Jersey, as a special needs student, and I participated in music classes. They were hosted by Mrs. Kill, who played the guitar and piano. We had stations where we played a variety of instruments: Casio keyboards (including the one with the demo button playing Rick Astley’s “Together Forever”), a drum set, guitars, elementary rhythm instruments, and more. Twice, we had field trips to local concert halls to see orchestra concerts. Mrs. Kill’s classes molded my music passion with her love and voice.

But Mrs. Kill’s classes did not solely build up my profound love of music – there are past experiences with seeing, participating in, and hearing live music throughout the campus. Clare (or Mrs. Kill) accompanies us during circle time (when we all sing songs and do activities with singing) when I was in preschool through kindergarten. We held a St. Patrick’s Day Irish dance performance featuring a live fiddle and concertina duo, a nod to great cultural ongoings in many schools. My favorite non-music class event was the visitation of the woodwind quintet, which influenced my decision to play the clarinet in the middle school band later in my life (it’s not just my cousin’s practice session at home or the recorder lessons from Mrs. Kill). I hear live music also outside of school, and the best memory of seeing and hearing it were the yearly rehearsals at Albion Park, within my block where I grew up in Clifton, by the DCA drum and bugle corps Connecticut Hurricanes.

When I moved to Hillsborough County, I became more passionate about music, and I bought my first classical music guide from Barnes and Noble in 5th grade. I didn’t just read extensively about music, but I watched many shows on it, from live performances on Bet on Jazz to documentaries on Ovation TV. I became so obsessed with it that I talked to virtually everyone I know about music – faculty and fellow students at Summerfield Elementary, bus drivers, and what not. When I talked to my uncle about Georg Fredric Handel, my then-favorite composer, it annoyed him a bit and it annoyed my parents a lot. The latter gave me a lecture on staying on the topic when someone is talking about it, which made me feel downcast. (I am autistic, so that’s my characteristic.)