Music teacher listening to student cries

Jamie Coppa,
Asbury Park, NJ.

As a music teacher with an almost entirely black and hispanic student body, I was met with stories of oppression, lack of food, disrupted sleep, abuse, incarceration, and even the murder of the loved ones they so deeply cared for. I will never forget the beautiful music my students expressed through their hardships. I will always strive to do more on their behalf.