Phil Aguglia’s passion for music was ignited as a student in the City of Buffalo School Public School system, learning to play the trumpet. He was fortunate to have some amazing teachers that provided many unique opportunities, which eventually led him to major in music education at Ithaca College, where he received his Bachelor's of Music Education and later at SUNY Fredonia to complete his Master's in Music. He is the author of the “Thinking out of the Box '' instrumental music curriculum where students can go from beginners to college material in four years of instruction. During his career as an educator, he has been blessed with the opportunity to teach in Medford, MA, West Valley, Cleveland Hill USFD, and, since 2002, Kenmore East. Mr. Aguglia is a member of the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame and has been recognized for excellence and commitment to music education as the recipient or nominee of over two dozen awards, which include the Grammy Foundation (2015 semifinalist/2023 Finalist), People Magazine, Walt Disney Corporation, Erie County Music Educator Association, The Conn/Selmer Corporation, SUNY Buffalo State, the Buffalo Bills, and more. He is a sought-after conductor, clinician, speaker, ​and has proudly served on the board of trustees for the Music is Art organization since 2008. Phil is also the owner and craftsman of PaGu Batons which have been used for the 2020 Oscars, Leonard Bernstein’s batons in the movie “Maestro”, and are the preferred batons of many of the world's most prestigious conductors. Phil and his wife of over twenty-five years, Cindy, have two incredible boys, Jacob and Griffin. 

Mrs. Anderson has a Bachelor's in Music from the Hartt School of Music at The University of Hartford, a Master's Degree in School Counseling from Canisius College, and a Master's Degree in School Administration from Niagara University. She has been teaching in Ken-Ton since 2003 and is currently the Jazz Director and Woodwind teacher at Kenmore West. For the past 14 years, in addition to teaching, she has been the District Music Coordinator. As a professional musician, Mrs. Anderson performs on the saxophone in the following bands: The Anderson Big Band, Buffalo Jazz and Swing, The George Scott Big Band and Skamagotchi. For the past 8 years, Mrs. Anderson has been voted Buffalo's favorite Bari Saxophone player through the Jazz Buffalo annual poll. The Anderson Big Band, that she co-leads with her husband, John Anderson, was voted the favorite Big Band and their performance at the Northwest Jazz Festival in Lewiston was voted the best performance of 2024. 

Mr. Backlund is a music teacher at Franklin Middle and Franklin Elementary, where he teaches the 4th and 5th grade bands. Mr. Backlund has a Bachelor's in Music Education from Fredonia and a Master's in Creative Studies from Buffalo State University. Mr. Backlund has been teaching music in Ken-Ton since 2006. In addition to the 4th and 5th grade bands, he also runs the jazz band at Franklin Middle. When he's not teaching, Mr. Backlund enjoys spending time with his family, which includes his wife, two kids, two cats, and two dogs. 

Miss Beiter has been teaching in Ken-Ton since 2020, where she also graduated from Kenmore East in 2016! Miss Beiter currently teaches general music, recorder and fourth grade orchestra at Edison Elementary. Performing both in cello and voice, Miss Beiter graduated from Buffalo State University in 2020 with a Bachelor's in Music Education. Miss Beiter also received her Master's in literacy instruction to connect music with reading/writing. If Miss Beiter is not teaching music, she can be found reading or trying out a new hobby.

Mrs. Briggs has been teaching in Ken-Ton since 2018. She teaches 8th grade concert choir, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, Music in Our Lives and Special Education music classes at Kenmore East and Kenmore West High Schools. With degrees in both Music Education and Piano Accompaniment, Mrs. Briggs is an avid piano accompanist all around the Buffalo area. When she is not teaching or playing piano, you can find her running races locally and across all 50 states, or traveling abroad with her husband.

Miss Cartwright has been teaching strings at Hoover Middle since the start of her career in 2011. She has dedicated herself to growing and advocating for the string program in Ken-Ton which, in her building alone, has grown over five times in size since her first year. She studied Music Education in college, receiving a B.A. from Fredonia, and a M.S. from the University at Buffalo. Her primary instrument is the viola. She loves music, animals, houseplants and traveling the globe! In her spare time, you can find her trying new recipes, exploring the trails and waterways of Buffalo, or spending time at home with her husband, two dogs, and one cat. 

Mrs. Cumbo is a music teacher at Edison Elementary, where she teaches general music classes and directs the 4th Grade Chorus. She has previously taught at both Hoover and Hamilton Elementary Schools. Mrs. Cumbo is trained in Orff Schulwerk and uses its principles in her teaching. Orff Schulwerk is a student-centered approach to music education that integrates singing, movement, speech, and classroom instruments, encouraging creativity and musical development through active participation. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, singing, shopping, attending concerts, musicals, and doing Zumba.

Karin Fryer has been teaching strings at Kenmore West since 1999. Mrs. Fryer attended Philadelphia Colleges of Performing Arts for performance, earning a double Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Performance. She also earned a Performance Certificate from the Fredonia School of Music studying with Charles Joseph, a prodigy of Jashua Heifetz. She holds a Master's in Education with a concentration in Music Education from SUNY Buffalo. Mrs. Fryer enjoyed a career in performance from soloistic to symphony orchestras in New York, Philadelphia and New Jersey, performing for a first lady while soloing at the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, Michigan. She is a wife and mother with many professional ties to the music community. She is a former Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra board member and president, a current member of the New York State School Music Educators Association, and a certified judge. She has co-chaired ECMEA and NYSSMA festivals. 

Sky Graham graduated Cum Laude from Buffalo State University with her Bachelor’s in Music education in May 2023. At Buffalo State, she studied flute and piccolo with Dr. Nicole McPherson and played in the Wind Ensemble and Philharmonia Orchestra. She attended Three Rivers High School in Michigan, where she studied flute with Ruth Corrie. She also taught brass with the White Sabers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2022-2024, and was a marching member in 2021. She is currently teaching general music and 4th grade band lessons at Franklin Elementary and Lindbergh Elementary. Sky is also on staff with the Orchard Park Marching Band from 2021- present, and teaches private flute lessons at Twin Village Music in Lancaster.

Miss Kristen Hill is a music teacher at Franklin Middle School, and has been teaching music in WNY for the past 17 years. She received her Bachelor's in Education from Buffalo State University, a Master's in Education from the University at Buffalo, and a degree in Administrative Leadership from Canisius College. Miss Hill has been a director with ABC Bel Canto Choirs as well as with the Lockport Chorale. She has also enjoyed being a chair for the ECMEA Red Chorus as well as a site coordinator for ECMEA Elementary festivals. Miss Hill has directed the Niagara County Elementary All County Chorus and taught staff development classes with ECMEA as well as BOCES. Kristen Hill is proud to have been a four-time quarter-finalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award. When not conducting, Miss Hill is also an accomplished flute player. She has enjoyed accompanying ECMEA ensembles and playing with the Erie County Wind Ensemble. Miss Hill is honored to be conducting the Red Chorus this year.

Mr. Holden has been teaching music for 22 years, 18 of those years at Lindbergh Elementary School. He also mentors music education students from Buffalo State University, SUNY Fredonia, and SUNY Potsdam. James received a B.A. in Voice Performance from SUNY Fredonia and a M.S. in Music Education from the University at Buffalo. He resides in Orchard Park, NY with his wife and son, Heather and Elias. 

Laura Jay is a violist currently teaching orchestra at Kenmore East High School. She received the degree of Bachelor’s of Music Education from SUNY Buffalo State, and a Master of Music Education with a specialty in Music Education Research at The University of Hartford’s The Hartt School. Outside of school, Laura is a member of the faculty at Buffalo String Works, a nonprofit afterschool music program providing music instruction on stringed instruments to children of low-income, refugee and immigrant parents in the West Side of Buffalo. Additionally, Mrs. Jay has worked with Honors Performance Series by Worldstrides since 2019, traveling with students to performance venues in five countries and three continents. Through the Honors Performance Series, Mrs. Jay has worked with conductors Jeffrey Grogan, Kirt Mosier, Angela Woo, and Jason Seber at performances in Carnegie Hall, Ambassador Auditorium, Sydney Opera House, and Royal Festival Hall. In her spare time, Laura enjoys playing with her dog Raven, and traveling the world with her husband, Jacob. 

Ciaran Krueger has been teaching in Ken-Ton at Franklin Middle School since 2015 and currently teaches General Music and 6th/7th grade Chorus. He is also the advisor for Theater Troupe, Drama Club, and Stage Crew Club. He received a Bachelor's in Music History and a Master's in Choral Conducting with Harold Rosenbaum, both at the University at Buffalo. In his professional life as a conductor, Ciaran currently serves as the Director of Music at St. James UCC church in Hamburg, where he directs the choirs and other ensembles, including Children's Choir, Chancel Choir, Praise Band, and a sacred Jazz Band. In the past, he has been director of the Concert Choir for Buffalo Niagara Youth Chorus, Music Director and Conductor for many productions with Opera-Lytes, and has also served as the Artistic Director of the Buffalo Gay Men's Chorus. As a choral singer, Ciaran has performed under the baton of Robert Bass, Leon Botstein, Ennio Morricone, and Michael Christie, at such locations as Carnegie Hall, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, Radio City Music Hall, and before the General Assembly of the United Nations as part of Ennio Morricone's North American concert debut. He can also be found on stage or on the podium for various theater productions, ranging from musicals and light opera to grand opera. In his free time, Ciaran is a Traditional Jazz enthusiast, and an avid 3-weapon fencer. Ciaran lives in Clarence with his wife, Lisa, and their four beautiful children.

Mrs. Kwitowski has been teaching instrumental music in the Ken-Ton School district since the start of her career in 1996. Starting out as a traveling teacher, she had the opportunity to teach at Roosevelt, Lindbergh, Jefferson, Holmes, and Hoover Elementary Schools, teaching 4th and 5th grade instrumental music. In 2004, Mrs. Kwitowski moved over to Hoover Middle School, where she has been the band director for the past 21 years. Mrs. Kwitowski herself was a student of the Ken-Ton schools, attending Hamilton Elementary, Hoover Middle, and Kenmore East High School. She went on to the University at Buffalo where she was a double major in mathematics and music, receiving a B.S. in Mathematics, a B.A. in Music and earning a NYS teaching certificate in both subjects. She went on to complete her Master’s degree from Buffalo State University, receiving an M.S. in Education. Her primary instrument is clarinet.

Mrs. Kwitowski knew, from the time she was little, that she wanted to be a teacher and has dedicated her life to guiding young people through the challenges of adolescence and helping find their passion and strengths. In her free time, Mrs. Kwitowski loves spending time with her family, especially her two children. Besides her love of music, she also loves reading, playing tennis, taking long walks, and traveling whenever she can.

Mrs. Leary is the choir director at Kenmore West High School. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from SUNY Fredonia and a Master’s degree in Music Education from the University at Buffalo. Mrs. Leary has been teaching music in several districts throughout WNY since 2010 and is very happy to call Kenmore West home - where she’s taught since 2020. She helps run the high school musicals, which is a huge passion of hers, as well as working with students for honors choirs, solo festivals and many other performance opportunities. Outside of teaching, Jess loves to bake, stay active and spend time with her family. 

Erin Marshall has been teaching general music at Franklin Elementary since 2000. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music and her Master of Science degree from Buffalo State University. Many moons ago, she worked for the Emmy award-winning show, "Live from Lincoln Center", the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center and wrote programs for Merkin Concert Hall in NYC. These days, when not at school, she can be found at most BPO Classics concerts, playing the piano, reading, running half-marathons or spending time with her family.

Ms. McCormick is an Orchestra Teacher at both Franklin Middle and Elementary Schools. She has a Bachelor's degree in Viola Performance from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Master's Degree in Music Education. Outside of teaching, she is involved with both the New York State Music Association, and the Erie County Music Association. During her time off, you can catch Ms. McCormick spending all her time outdoors, either on the trails hiking or kayaking.

Mrs. Neuhaus attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA as a Voice Performance major. She received her Master’s Degree in Music Education from The University at Buffalo and taught in the West Seneca School District for three years before becoming the Choral Director at Kenmore East. Mrs. Neuhaus has been the guest conductor for Erie County Junior High Choirs twice and the Niagara County Senior High Chorus in 2014 and the Junior High Choir in 2025. She enjoys adjudicating at NYSSMA and various other music festivals in the Western New York Area and was awarded Buffalo State’s Music Educator of the Year in 2016. As a Soprano soloist, she has performed with such groups as The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, Buffalo Choral Arts Society, Ars Nova and Buffalo Chamber Players, to name a few. She also sings with Harmonia Chamber Singers of Buffalo and is an adjunct Professor of Voice at The University at Buffalo Department of Theatre & Dance. 

Amanda Regan has been a music teacher in Ken-Ton since 2017. She currently teaches 4th grade band and orchestra at Hoover Elementary and woodwind lessons at Kenmore East. Prior to Ken-Ton, Ms. Regan taught in a number of WNY schools, teaching general music, band, orchestra and adaptive music to special education students. Ms. Regan has a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from the State University of New York at Fredonia and a Master's degree in Music Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo.  When she isn't teaching, Ms. Regan loves to read, hike, enjoy live music and spend time with family and friends.

Aaron Scoccia has been a music teacher in Ken-Ton since 2021. He currently teaches vocal music and recorder at Hoover Elementary. As an active performing musician, he can be seen playing trumpet in local orchestras, concert bands, and musical theater. He studied music at Ithaca College and Boston University.