By: LARRY MAIER
Dr. Alfred Townsend leaving district
In the fall of 1989, Dr. Alfred Townsend was the new kid on the block in the Baldwin School District having recently been hired as the district's director of music and art. Just a few short months into his new position, the curtain rose on the first Baldwin High School musical production under his direction, Hello Dolly.
Townsend said he has many fond memories of that opening night, both of what he saw from the students on the stage and of what he saw from the Baldwin community in the audience.
I was pleasantly surprised at how packed the auditorium was,recalled Townsend. And it has stayed that way ever since then, nothing but standing room only crowds.
At the end of this school year, Townsend will be taking his final bow as music and art director. He will be leaving Baldwin after 12 years of dedicated service and taking a position as Director of Music Education at Five Towns College in Stony Brook.
Townsend said he is going to miss many things about Baldwin, especially the fall musicals. It was the promise of being able to direct the musicals that helped lured him to Baldwin in the first place.
Townsend had a difficult decision to make the year he was hired by Baldwin. He had spent the previous five years as chairman of the music and art department for South Huntington public schools and before that he was a music teacher and band and chorus leader in the Sachem School District. In 1989, Baldwin and two other school districts offered Townsend similar positions. But, for a variety of reasons, Baldwin stood out above the others.
Baldwin had such a strong faculty in art and music, K through 12, combined with unusually strong support from the community,said Townsend. That community support has not only shown itself in the sell-out crowds at school plays, musicals, and music festivals but also in the community's desire to maintain a well rounded curriculum in the school, not just achieve high test scores, said Townsend.
But what convinced Townsend to come to Baldwin was the understanding that he would get to interact with students each year as director of the high school's musicals. Townsend said that the musicals have been the highlight of his year, every year. He loves the fact that so many students lend their talents to the shows.
Our musicals are incredible. We involve everyone, large casts, stage crews, and the pit. It really cuts across all strata in our schools,said Townsend.
Townsend has also enjoyed working with younger students in the district conducting regional music festivals, like last week's String Festival Concert and the District Concert, featuring the district elementary school bands and chorus.
Beyond directing musicals and music students, Townsend has orchestrated significant changes in the district's art and music programs during his 12-year tenure.
Under Townsend's leadership, the district created art and music honors and advanced placement courses of study. It has developed a high school computer art lab and a graphic arts curriculum, a music industry curriculum, and implemented a comprehensive K-12 visual arts syllabus and music syllabus.
Also, participation in NYSSMA has more than doubled under Townsend's guidance and the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. poster contest has grown in scope and popularity.
Townsend is proud of what he has helped accomplish in the Baldwin schools and believes the future of arts and music in the district is bright, despite recent changes in curriculum called for by the state.
There is increased pressure on school districts in general to put more pressure on academic testing and not a comprehensive education program,said Townsend. But given our board of education and our administration, I am not overly concerned.
At Five Towns College, Townsend said he hopes to have more of an opportunity to interact with students on a daily basis. He is looking forward to guiding and helping music education majors. He has been asked to develop a doctoral music arts degree. He hopes to become a mentor to future teaching professionals.
After Five Towns, who knows? Townsend said he and his wife Bette Jean, a high school choir director, would like to spend some time living in England and maybe move to New Hampshire and teach at a small, New England college.Wherever he ends up, Townsend said he will always remember his 12 years here. I will definitely miss the kids, I will miss Baldwin.
