“I just think that I associated music with something that was healing and transformative as a kid.” Quote by Jon Gordon
“I saw that [music] reflected in my mother when we listened to these records [of Bob Gordon]. And I felt it too.” MotherFeltRecordsSawsBob Author:Jon Gordon
“We were poor [with my mother], and we didn't have too much. So we sat on the floor and we had a record player, and that's all we had in that room in the apartment. But we had whatever we had. Six records and a record player and it seemed like magic. Seven or eight years old, you know.” KnowsYearsMotherPoorRoomsRecordsToo MuchPlayerMagicSixSevenEightSatApartmentOld YouRecord Players Author:Jon Gordon
“I asked all through third, fourth and fifth grade, when they were asking kids to be in the band, to be in the school band. But they wouldn't let me do it.” KidsSchoolBandThirdsLet MeAskingGradesFourthFifthFifth GradeSchool Band Author:Jon Gordon
“I finally got to junior high and I got to start saxophone. There were a few of us that were in the beginner band in sixth grade that made it to the advanced band, which was called the morning band at our junior high school in Staten Island.” MadeSchoolMorningBandHigh SchoolMade ItIslandsGradesJuniorsBeginnersSaxophoneJunior HighSixth GradeHigh School Junior Author:Jon Gordon
“We had a great educator [in the school band], a man named Larry Laurenzano. He was tough, but we knew that he loved us. And that was the beginning of playing music with people and really being inspired and having fun and being in a community.” PeopleMenSchoolFunCommunityBandToughInspiredHaving FunEducatorPlaying MusicLarrySchool Band Author:Jon Gordon
“We still talk about [school band]. Almost 40 years later. It's like people are talking about, "Man we need to have a morning band reunion".” PeopleMenNeedsYearsStillsSchoolTalkingMorningBandReunionSchool Band Author:Jon Gordon
“Walk down Forest Ave to Joey's Pizza like we used to do after performances, which doesn't exist anymore. We had a sense of community [in the school band].” SchoolUsedCommunityWalksBandPerformancesForestsPizzaJoeySchool Band Author:Jon Gordon
“Sense of community was really fostered by Larry Laurenzano, who was a great educator.” CommunityEducatorLarry Author:Jon Gordon
“[Larry Laurenzano] gave me a junior high school saxophone to take to high school, because I was always taking one of our school horns home to practice and I couldn't afford to buy one. He gave my friend, Tyrone, a tuba and he gave me a junior high saxophone for each of us to use at Performing Arts High School with. My audition piece was selections from Rocky. We were not sophisticated. But we had some spirit about it. We enjoyed it, and it was a way out.” WayArtUseHomeSchoolSpiritPracticePiecesHigh SchoolMy FriendsEnjoyedPerformingSophisticatedAuditionsSelectionHornsJuniorsLarrySaxophoneJunior HighPerforming ArtsHigh School JuniorTubas Author:Jon Gordon