What's in there?!?!?!
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Biography Vinny DeStefano grew up in Derry, NH, a town just minutes over the Massachusetts border and an hour north of Boston. In Derry, Mr. DeStefano attended Pinkerton Academy, a regional high school known in the area for its solid music department, where his love of music was sparked. Through the tutelage and gentle prodding of his teachers, Vinny chose to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst to study Music Education. During his time at UMass, Mr. DeStefano was a student in the trumpet studio of renowned teacher/artist Eric Berlin. Mr. D. received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and a Massachusetts State Initial Educator License in February 2015. He later completed his Master's of Music Education degree at the American Band College of Central Washington University and acquired his Massachusetts State Professional Educator License in 2019. When not playing instruments or teaching, Vinny can be found cooking, tinkering with automobiles, or cruising around Southern New Hampshire.
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Past Performance and Education |
As a student of Eric Berlin, Vinny DeStefano learned to play many different styles of music. He was involved in the Symphony Band, Chapel Jazz Band, and several chamber groups during his time at the University of Massachusetts, while working on his Bachelor of Music Education. He also performed with the Chapter Choir of the Sigma Alpha Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. More recently, Mr. DeStefano completed his Master's of Music Education degree from the American Band College of Central Washington University where he participated in Symphonic Bands that performed with guest artists such as Doc Severinsen, Mariachi Sol del Mexico, The Canadian Brass, and many more.
As a youth, Vinny studied Classical and Jazz trumpet with Bob Couturier and Jazz improvisation with Chris Burbank and was a member of the New Hampshire Youth Ensemble Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble at the Manchester Community Music School. Vinny has also taken piano, Jazz improvisation and theory lessons with Steve Aubert of Londonderry, NH and guitar lessons with Troy Price in Gardner, MA. |
Educator |
Mr. DeStefano completed his student teaching in the Fall 2014 at Chelmsford High School in Chelmsford, MA and Tyngsborough Elementary School in Tyngsborough, MA. In Chelmsford, Mr. D. assisted with the Marching Band, Concert Band, Music Technology, and AP Music Theory courses as he continued to develop his skills as a music educator. He also assisted with the All Town Wind Ensemble (ATWE), a grades 5-12 performance group that meets once a week after school. Mr. D.'s role with ATWE was as a brass pedagogue and ensemble coach, providing a fourth set of professionally trained ears at rehearsals, and assisting the brass section with sectional rehearsals. In Tyngsborough, Mr. D. taught general classroom music to grades 1-5 as he worked towards becoming a well-rounded teacher. From 2015-2023, Mr. DeStefano served as the Director of Bands and General Music Teacher at Groton-Dunstable Regional Middle School in Groton, MA. In Fall 2023, Mr. D began a new role as Band Director at McCarthy Middle School in Chelmsford, MA, where he teaches Band, General Music, and co-directs their All-Town Wind Ensemble.
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