C.E.S. 11's music man

By Vanessa Truell
Staff Writer

Ronald Osborne, music instructor to the students at C.E.S. 11, is a person who likes to remain in the background. He delights in the accomplishments of his students and the lessons which he imparts to them.

He has been teaching music in New York City schools for nearly 20 years. He came into District 9 four years ago. “I wanted to be placed here,” Mr. Osborne said, “and I have loved it ever since.”

C.E.S. 11 is the only elementary school which has a full music assembly once a month in this district. For example Mr. Osborne, who plays the piano and various other instruments, leads assemblies for major holidays such as Halloween and Christmas.

His former students adore him. They come back at various times to talk with him about the progress they have made since being one of his elementary students.

“I ran into one of my students at a meeting in the district office, and this young man walks in and they introduce me to him, and we realized we knew each other,” Mr. Osborne explained. “He was a former student and he is teaching music in this district. He attended Yale University as a music major — a trumpet player — and said that I was an inspiration to him. Now he is working on his Ph.d. in music at the University of Maryland.”

Another of his former students now performs on Broadway.

Mr. Osborne, who holds education degrees from the University of Virginia and City College, is linked to quite a few musical institutions in New York City. He has an affiliation to the Lincoln Center School of the Arts — its students perform on an annual basis for the children of the Bronx.

“The Harlem School of the Arts works with me, as well as a drill step team, boys choir and girls chorus,” Mr. Osborne said. “We were asked by the music outreach program to come back and perform at Lehman college.

“To see a child on the stage performing who is withdrawn do good — that is what I love seeing,” he explained. “We had a young man a few years ago who could play the drums very well, he was amazing, and I tried getting him into Harlem School of the Arts.”

Mr. Osborne’s teaching is rooted in his family upbringing. His family shared the belief that music is empowering.

“I had such wonderful teachers who would take their time with me, for no money at all,” he explained. “All they wanted to do was teach because of their love of music and wanted me to be able to teach someone else. They did not do it for the money — their way of payment was having the student teach someone else and that inspired me so much that I wanted to share.

“I taught high school and junior high school,” he said. “The reason I teach elementary school is because I wanted to reach them at an early age because I wanted to make an impression on their lives musically.”

Jack Billig, Principal, of C.E.S. 11, said Mr. Osborne is a key part of his staff. “He is one of the kindest, most genuinely beautiful people that I know.”