JCHS Student, Band Director to be Interviewed on NPR Podcast

Joliet Central High School Band student Noah Riley and director Don Stinson were selected to record an interview for the StoryCorps Podcast hosted by National Public Radio. Riley and Stinson will discuss the Joliet Central Band from a student and director’s standpoint, reflect on personal connections and stories with the school and city of Joliet, and will speak about the band’s upcoming performance at Lincoln Center in New York City.

NPR’s StoryCorps podcast is described as “an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate the lives of everyday Americans by listening to their stories.” Noah, the band, and Joliet will be a permanent part of history – all episodes of StoryCorps are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

Senior Noah Riley is band president and first alto saxophonist with the Joliet Central Symphonic Band. In addition to his band success, Noah is on the varsity baseball team and holds a position on the Captain’s Club. His academic successes include membership in NHS and Mu Alpha Theta. Noah has completed over 200 community service hours through the band, travel baseball, and his church.

Noah states: “I’m honored to participate in this interview with the StoryCorps podcast and share my story. I hope that Mr. Stinson and I will be able to spread the word on the great things that the band and school are doing to contribute to the presence of music and arts in our city; I’m also hoping that people realize all of the work involved with what we do, and how important music can be to a school and community.”

The NPR StoryCorps episode will be recorded in November and will be available for download later this year from www.npr.org and all major podcast distributors.