HOW IMPORTANT IS MUSIC
IN OUR SCHOOLS?
Some answers and a perspective
from an unusually experienced educator

By Jack Etzel

Ernest M. Pontiere
Director of Choral Activities,
North Allegheny Senior High School

Ernest M. Pontiere, Director of Choral Activities, North Allegheny Senior High School, has “been there and done that.” For 20 years, Pontiere took his degree in music education, stuck it in his pocket and went on the road as a professional singer and trombonist. He was one of the “4 Coins”, touring extensively throughout the United States. and Canada. He played trombone in the Wayne Newton Orchestra and he was one of the three lead singers with “The Lettermen”.

Presently, he and his wife, Lisa, also a music educator, direct eight different choral ensembles serving over 400 students per day in grades 9 through 12. He has been with the North Allegheny School District since 1991.

North Hills Monthly Magazine: Unlike you, Ernie, most of your students will never make a cent from their musical education, so how important is it?

Ernest Pontiere: If you look at those 410 kids, how many are going to perform on Broadway? How many will get a record contract? You know as well as I do, that it’s a very, very small number. There’s so much more to it than that. If you look at the PSSA scores (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, which measures academic attainment) and the other education statistics, you’ll find that always, not sometimes, but always, for the student who is involved in music, his or her QPA (Quality Performance Accreditation) is normally higher, the overall aptitude for education is higher and they are just a better well-rounded student.

NHMM: What makes music so special?

Pontiere: Music is a lifelong learning skill. What they have learned in the last four, six, eight or 10 years here, or in any school district, they will use in many different venues in their lives. They might sing in a church choir or play in a band. Even if they choose another profession, they can still sing at weddings, for example, some turn out to be a DJ or anything they can imagine. Some kids who I’ve taught make a living some other way, but can still do commercials and jingles. It’s a skill that will never leave you.

The greatest thing is even if you don’t continue to perform, when you go into a doctor’s or dentist’s office, there is usually music. It’s on radio and television. Movies have music. It’s everywhere. And, these kids who have had a good music education will always know just a little more about what’s going on and will get more out of music compared to the person who has never had any music instruction.

NHMM: You’re passionate about this.

Pontiere: I am. It’s a love. It’s something in your inner soul that you never lose. And, when these students get married and have their own kids, they’ll tell them, “Hey, I sang alto in the choir.”

NHMM: On an important, but perhaps controversial subject, do you think that music gets the respect it deserves when it comes to the budget?

Pontiere: We’re pretty lucky to some extent. I’m not saying that the budget hasn’t been cut, because it has. Everybody’s has. It’s not just music. They’re not picking on music at North Allegheny. This district, like some others, has prevailed. They still value the arts. Do I wish I had more money for music? Yes, I do. There’s equipment, for example, that we can’t afford. But, I don’t think we’re being short changed. Now, if you look at schools in California, Texas, Florida, for just a few examples, many of those schools have serious problems. When they have budget problems it’s too often a case of “Let’s cut music, let’s cut the arts.” That hasn’t happened here, and I don’t foresee it happening.

NHMM: At one point you were handling the whole music program at the Senior High School as well has the Intermediate High School. That situation has improved, hasn’t it?

Pontiere: When I was doing all four years, nine through twelve with more than 330 kids, I was spread too thin. The choir was good, but it was killing me. That’s when they brought Lisa to the Intermediate High, and that has made a terrific improvement in the quality of our music program. What she gets out of ninth and tenth graders is absolutely astounding. On the other hand, they get, and I’m not saying this because she’s my wife, but they’re taught by one of the best classically trained singers, one of the best choral directors and a person who understands more about the human voice than anyone I know. Today, it’s a great feeder system. We have a wonderful staff beginning in the elementary level, the middle school, and the intermediate before I get them for their last two years at the Senior High. Dave Woten, one of the choir directors at Carson Middle School, calls it a machine.

NHMM: Obviously, you appreciate this big support system.

Pontiere: Oh, I’m so far from doing this alone. In addition to what I consider an indispensable staff and administration throughout the system, the N.A.C.P.A (North Allegheny Choral Patrons Association) ends up being the backbone of this whole program. The fund-raisers they organize and run during the year for those annual trips, when we compete with other high schools from around the country, wouldn’t be possible without their help.

Ernie, Lisa and their two daughters reside in the North Hills.