Westfield High School and Technical Academy Band Director Patrick Kennedy.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
WESTFIELD — Patrick Kennedy, band director for Westfield High School and Westfield Technical Academy and lead music teacher for Westfield Public Schools grades 5-12, received the Massachusetts Music Educators Distinguished Service Award in a ceremony on Thursday, March 27, at the DCU Convention Center in Worcester.
The Distinguished Service Award is given annually in recognition of exceptional support and outstanding accomplishments towards the advancement of music education in the schools. It is given to educators with more than 15 years experience who have previously been honored with the Lowell Mason Award, which Kennedy received in 2016, and to educators who have demonstrated effectiveness in teaching young people through music, inspiring positive attitudes among students, the school, and the community; and who have been actively involved in local, district, state and regional professional organizations.
“They only give one a year,” Kennedy said, reflecting on the honor. “There are 11 different awards this year, mine is the last one. I get to give a short speech, thank some folks that have been meaningful to me, share some insight to other music educators.”
Kennedy, a lifelong resident of Westfield, is always quick to thank his mentors and those who have supported him throughout his career, and his bio is filled with their names, from his fourth grade music teacher Douglas Ward, to his junior high school director Gene Bartley, who introduced him to jazz, to his high school director Thomas Gannon, who nurtured his desire to pursue music at the collegiate level.
Kennedy earned his bachelor’s in music education from Westfield State College in 1984, and said he owes a debt of gratitude to WSC professors Dr. Donald Bastarache, Dr. Catherine Dower and Ken Manzer. He furthered his education at the University of Connecticut, earning his Master of Music there in 1997. Dr. Mary Ellen Junda was a very influential professor during his time at UConn, he said.
When Gannon retired in 1997, Kennedy came full circle back to Westfield High School after spending “several wonderful years” as the Gateway Middle School band director from 1988 to 1997 in Huntington, at the beginning of his public school career.
Since the Distinguished Service Award was announced, Kennedy has been hearing from a lot of the people he has met along the way. “Some folks I haven’t heard from years — folks from my Gateway days, seems like a lifetime ago — I couldn’t think of a better place to start. The kids were great up there — [former Gateway Middle School Principal] Peter Curro was a special principal to me, which made for a pretty vibrant school,” Kennedy said, adding, “We made the best of it up in that cafetorium.
“I’ve been lucky in my career, nearly all my principals have been supportive. If you’ve got a principal that’s supportive, that makes all the difference. I’ve got two great ones now, Chuck [WHS Principal Charles Jendrysik] and Bruce [WTA Principal Bruce Hastings] have been great to me, friends of the bands and very supportive,” he added.
Kennedy is also proud of having two of his former band students teaching music in the Westfield Public Schools. William Choe, instrumental music director at Westfield Intermediate School was a 2001 graduate of WHS, and Ryan Emken at Westfield Middle School, graduated, or as Kennedy puts it was a “band grad,” in 2007.
“He’s doing a great job, really starting to hit his stride. He’s a joy to watch, and the kids love him,” Kennedy said about Emken.
Another qualification for the Distinguished Service Award is demonstrated concern for the total music program. The band leaders at Westfield Public Schools always show up for each other’s performances and work together often. On Saturday, April 12 in the Westfield High School gym, “It’s Bandtastic” which will feature all instrumentalists from grades 4-12.
“Our numbers are on the rebound from the COVID years, for sure,” Kennedy said, which he has acknowledged were difficult years for all public school music programs, when bands were not able to practice and perform together.
He said the WHS band now numbers 75-80, not quite what they were before COVID-19, but the numbers are rising at Westfield Technical Academy, up to 50 in the band this year. WTA held its first-ever evening winter band concert on Feb. 12.
Kennedy said another big topic of discussion for him is the question he often gets asked about when he is going to retire.
“The answer is I don’t know — I’m still really enjoying being with the kids. I told the class of 2026 when they were in eighth grade — I told them you’re going to be my last,” Kennedy said, but added, “I’m still having a good time doing what I do. I have a great support system — a great group of band parents — and the people I work with in both schools, most everybody is really supportive.”
An active member of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association, Kennedy said he has been proud to serve as western district chairperson, Scholarship Committee member and currently as jazz coordinator. He has managed countless ensembles at MMEA festivals over the years, including the MMEA All State Jazz Ensemble in 2001. Kennedy’s jazz ensembles from both Gateway Regional Middle School and Westfield High School were perennial gold medal winners at Massachusetts IAJE Festivals, with Westfield often earning invitations to the state finals at the high school level. Kennedy was proud to serve as IAJE Western District Chairperson from 2000 until the dissolution of IAJE in 2008.
In addition to this year’s MMEA Distinguished Service Award, Kennedy has been a recipient of the MMEA Lowell Mason Award (2016), Westfield State University Alumnus of the Year Award (2016), Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award (2007) and the Westfield Citizen Volunteer of the Year Award (2005).
