After seven years of teaching at Townsend Harris High School, former Band Director Kevin Heathwood departed at the end of last school year to take on a new position at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts.
“Despite years of success at various middle schools, teaching at a high school was always something I wanted to do,” he said. “During the summer of 2018, I saw a job posting for a band director position at Townsend Harris, and after researching the school and asking my colleagues about it, it seemed like a dream job.”
Reflecting on what made his experience at THHS meaningful, he said, “I could write for days [about it], but if I could pick just one thing, it’s the people. Townsend has the best students, the best colleagues, and the best admin. I felt the warmth from every human being in that building.”
Among his many memories from his time at THHS, Mr. Heathwood said that several stand out. “When I conducted the Wind Ensemble at Founders’ Day [in 2018] for the first time, it was such a moving performance and an amazing way for me to be introduced to the school community. I remember feeling magic in the air,” he said. “From the music performances, to the senior skit, to the Ephebic Oath, I knew I was in a special place.”
He shared that another memorable moment was building up the band to a level V group to perform at NYSSMA Majors, where they achieved a Gold with Distinction rating. “It was a multi-year journey that required a great deal of focus and determination by all,” he said. “During that performance, I had already accepted my new position at Sinatra, but I couldn’t tell anyone yet. I knew how much this moment would mean to me and everyone in the band, and I had tears in my eyes the whole time because I knew it was going to be my finale.”
Junior Sophia Chen recalled the band’s Gold with Distinction performance at NYSSMA as a defining moment. “He was so emotional,” she said. “He was crying with such joy that it made at least 80% of the class that day also start crying. At that time, no one knew that he was going to leave, but it was the perfect way of finishing the year off with Mr. Heathwood as our teacher.”
During his tenure, Mr. Heathwood developed new ensembles and traditions with the THHS music department. He created the Modern Band program, the Band Bodega, the student pit orchestra for school musicals, and brought ensembles to NYSSMA Majors.
“It’s not my program, it’s our program,” he said. “Once I had a core group of student leaders, we chipped away at short-term goals until our long-term goals were achieved.”
Music teacher and Symphony Orchestra conductor Christopher Lee, who worked closely with Mr. Heathwood, said, “Mr. Heathwood is a man of many talents,motivated [and] enthusiastic to try new things. He brought a lot to the department, from NYSSMA to our first real symphony orchestra.”
Mr. Lee added that while the program has evolved under new leadership, Heathwood’s influence remains. “Not seeing him and not feeling his energy…it’s different,” he said. “Working with him has also changed me both as a musician and an educator.”
Now stepping into the role of band director, Thomas LaRocca shared his perspective on continuing the program. “Stepping into a role where your predecessor was such a positive force was a big challenge,” he said. “I think Mr. Heathwood did a great job of expanding music offerings to cater to the needs and interests of students.”
Students of Mr. Heathwood spoke about his teaching style and caring personality.
Sophia said, “The way he conducted the band, you could just tell. His baton would be waving all over the place, and when he was happy with our performance, it would be infectious. His teaching style was lively.”
Sophomore Sandaru Weerasekara echoed this sentiment. “He helped us realize our talent and made me appreciate music more,” he said. “He is willing to go to great lengths for his students. His leaving made our heads spin because he was such an integral part of our lives.”
Mr. Heathwood also noted how his final performance with the Wind Ensemble at the Class of 2025 graduation was particularly impactful for him. “We played Rhapsody in Blue, featuring many of the seniors as soloists,” he said. “Everyone knew I was leaving. It was emotional knowing it would be the last time we’d be making music together.”
Looking ahead, Mr. Heathwood says he is excited about his new chapter at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts. “The best part of any teaching job is the students,” he said. “It makes leaving Townsend so hard and coming to Sinatra so exciting. The Townsend chapter of my life is something that has transformed who I am as a person, teacher, and musician so, while our time together was always temporary as we all eventually move on to college, retirement, or other jobs, I can safely say we definitely took advantage of the limited time we had together.”
