It was a very exciting day for the Pine Bush High School Guitar Club Tuesday. It was the first meeting of the school year and they had the opportunity to use brand new instruments and gear, bought with donations from the organization Music for Humanity and a private donation from Steven Pantaleo, totaling $4,500.

 

 

Steve is a lifelong friend of Rob Pawson, who runs the Guitar Club. He was at a Music for Humanity event last year and met Barry Adelman, co-founder and executive director of Music for Humanity. Barry and Steve talked about the organization, which was founded in 2005 and awards scholarships to music students and donates funds to schools to purchase instruments.

 

Steve was intrigued by the idea. He doesn’t consider himself a musician, although he played bass in a band with Mr. Pawson a long time ago, but his brother, Michael, was a wonderful musician and music teacher. Michael died in 1981 and Steve realized this would be a wonderful way to honor his older brother. That is how this whole thing came about.

 

 

 

Music for Humanity donated $1,500 and Steve donated $3,000 to Pine Bush for its Guitar Club. The three men went to Alto in Middletown and purchased seven acoustic/electric guitars, a banjo, three small amps, guitar straps and stands, pics, capos, tuners and guitar cables.

 

 

 

The Guitar Club members were thrilled to have the new equipment – previously, they played instruments owned by Mr. Pawson or brought their own, if they had them and could transport them.

 

 

 

Along with Superintendent Joe Lenz, Mr. Pawson and Spanish teacher and guitarist Roselia Sandoval, the students thanked both Steve and Barry for their generous donation and showed them with their enthusiasm how much the donation means to them.

“We really appreciate your generosity,” said club president Alyssa Magsamen. “This is great.”