Music-teaching IC alumni help their schools win a prestigious AMC title.

by Kenny Berkowitz

In its second annual survey, the American Music Conference named Johnstown, New York, one of the "100 best communities for music education in America." And even though it came as a surprise, the school’s director of bands knows exactly what makes the Johnstown program so special.

"Although we’re a relatively small school district, the music programs are pretty high-profile," says Daniel L. Jones ’88, M.M. ’94, who divides his time between Johnstown High School, where he leads three bands, and the Warren Street Elementary School, where he teaches instrumental music. "And our students are constantly surrounded by Ithaca College graduates."

Of the high school department’s seven full-time teachers, three --- Jones, William Crankshaw ’88, and James Morton Jr. ’92 --- are IC alumni. Add three part-time faculty members --- Vince Casale ’95, Jane Haggett ’90, M.M. ’94, and Stacie Luczynski ’99 --- and you’ve got a powerful lineup in which, as Jones says, "everyone has had the same exposure to excellence."

Growing up in Medina, New York, Jones first heard about IC from his band instructor, Joseph McKain ’65, who encouraged him to learn good practice habits and warned him about the competition he’d face if he ever reached Ithaca. When he did get to South Hill, he trained with professor of saxophone Steven Mauk. "I learned to take chances, because he took a chance on me. And I learned to give my kids my best teaching, because that’s what he did for me. I think back and wonder why he accepted me into the saxophone studio --- but then, he was so patient with me that I ended up being top of the studio before I left."

"Dan has molded his students into the IC way of thinking," says Luczynski, who teaches middle school music at Little Falls and instructs Johnstown’s pit percussionists. Like Jones, she studied saxophone with Mauk and is determined to pass on his lessons. ’m constantly pushing, even when the students sound great. We’ll always go back to reflect on what we could have done better. That’s what I learned at Ithaca: how to critique yourself. At every competition the judges tell us what a challenging piece of music we’re doing --- but we know our kids can handle it. And the camaraderie is among the best I’ve ever been around."

Casale is more than happy to drive 45 minutes each way, two or three times a week, to work with the Johnstown marching band. Luczynski, who hadn’t met her coworkers before two years ago, thinks it’s fate that they’re working together now. And Morton, who’s known Casale for years --- as both students and instructors at Mohawk High School --- agrees that they’re all at "one of those places in life where paths are supposed to cross."

"I firmly believe that Ithaca trains the best," says Morton, who leads two choirs at Knox Junior High and leads the brass section of Johnstown’s marching band. Like Jones, Morton was first inspired by his high school band instructor --- in this case, Bertram Bookhout ’64, M.S. ’67, who "gave me a love for music and a passion for wanting to teach.

"I left Ithaca knowing that I was ready to start a teaching career," Morton adds, naming Verna Brummett as a teacher who "let me make mistakes, then helped me turn them around into really positive lessons as I started my teaching. Music is a very passionate science, and my biggest goal is to pass on that passion to my students."

Choir director Crankshaw runs a half dozen ensembles at the high school, including a chamber choir that has won gold with distinction medals each of the last six years. "There were many professors at Ithaca who invoked passion," he says. "Dan and Jim and I think it’s important to have a really comprehensive program. We’re winning awards because we have a strong philosophy base and strong curriculum. I think it’s a combination of teacher passion and devotion, plus the strong support of our board of education, community leaders, and parents --- they’re 100 percent behind us."

"If there’s anything I try to pass along when I’m teaching, it’s to never lose sight of your goal --- to entertain people," says Casale, who developed his sense of timing with percussion professor Gordon Stout. "If somebody is listening to you and tapping their foot or bobbing their head, or [if] they’ve got a smile on their face, you’ve made your goal. That’s the best reward."

Photo: Giving Johnstown kids their best: Stacie Luczynski '99, Vincent Casale '95, Daniel L. Jones '88, M.M. '94, James Morton Jr '92, William Crankshaw '88, and Jane Haggett '90, M.M. '94
(Photo by Bryan Marcucci)