Music Teachers

Hear from Barry Scott’s Middle School Music Teacher!!

Comments from Roberta Flack: Former Music Teacher!

Katherine Brinnier was Barry’s Music Teacher at John Wallace Middle School in Newington, Connecticut in grades 6th, 7th and 8th in the mid 70s. More than any other teacher or professor, Katherine saw Barry’s interest in Top 40 music was genuine and showed him Billboard magazine, which enabled him to memorize the Top 100 songs in her class every week!

Barry played the drums for Katherine’s choir while learning all he could about music and listening to various countdown shows in her class and a wide range of LPs while helping her after school.

Katherine and Barry became great friends. He even dedicated his first book to her.

With cuts in the education budget occurring yearly in the mid 70s and 80s (and still to this day), Katherine left teaching after 13 years. Part of the story can be heard in the interview.

Without Katherine, you probably would never have heard Barry Scott on the air. Any school system that cuts the arts from their budget is losing valuable teachers like her, who inspire students for a lifetime. Who knows how many other pupils would have been inspired by these incredible people?

Enjoy the interviews and send comments via e-mail if you’d like!