I grew up in Ansonia and am a graduate of Lincoln Elementary, Willis School, Ansonia Middle and Ansonia High School, going through the music programs in each of them.
I have heard of the budget cuts up on the table through the Valley Sentinel and the Register and just wanted to let all of you know how the music education program helped me grow during my time in school and helped me get to where I needed to be today.
Since AHS, I attended school in Manhattan for audio engineering. After that I worked at a recording studio in Pittsburgh for about 2 years where companies such as Disney & other acts came in to record.
Currently I’m running live sound at the Manchester Craftsman’s Guild, a jazz venue here in Pittsburgh.
Involvement in the arts has helped me to stay in an area that I love. I wouldn’t be able to do that without the AHS arts program making me realize it’s possible to combine my personal passions with my career goals.
I urge all of you to consider how the music education in Ansonia shaped me and my life and that there are others out there like me who have been touched greatly. There are also children in the Ansonia school system now who would miss out on a program that can really help expand their experiences in school and cultivate something inside that makes them want to do more than just go through the motions in school.
I have always been inspired by the job that all of my music teachers have done, it’s a great undertaking that requires much work and they could use all the help they can get.
The writer is an Ansonia High School graduate.
