'Larger Than Life' Gina Pellettiere's Rise To Farmingdale Band Director

MASSAPEQUA, NY — Gina Pellettiere, a beloved mother, daughter and music director at Farmingdale High School, was laid to rest on Thursday.

Hundreds mourned Pellettiere at Our Lady of Lourdes in Massapequa after her life was cut short in the Orange County bus crash on Sept. 21, when she was headed to the school's annual band camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania.

Many of "Ms. P's" former students were among those gathered at the church. Several of those band kids attested to the indelible mark "Ms. P" left on them. Pellettiere almost never got the chance to leave that mark, as she herself once needed convincing to stay in her middle school band. Another time, she had to "break into" Farmingdale High School just to submit her resume for the band director opening.

Rita Padden, the former Farmingdale fine arts director, spoke at Pellettiere's funeral Mass, recounting how "Ms. P," an underdog for the role, came to seize the title of Farmingdale band director and everything she did with it after.

Padden first met Pellettiere in 2006, when she was interviewing candidates for the high school band director opening. The position, at first, was not open to Pellettiere.

"Because we had a highly-skilled wind ensemble that plays college level literature and a large marching band, we wanted a teacher who already had high school experience," Padden said at the church. "We interviewed many candidates, but we didn't find anyone with the skills and personality that we needed."

Pellettiere's passion impressed Padden. But she nearly didn't get a chance to apply.

There were only three weeks until the school year began. The district expanded the search to include middle school band director candidates. Pellettiere, a Huntington Middle School band director at the time, was "disappointed" when she did not get the district's high school position.

There was a deadline for candidates for the Farmingdale position to submit their resume. It was a Friday.

Pellettiere was in Europe when she heard Farmingdale was accepting middle school teachers. She flew home late on a Thursday night, revised her resume Friday morning and brought it to the high school at 1 p.m. There was one problem: The doors were locked.

"Knowing the deadline was that day, she couldn't believe there was no one there," Padden said. "Remember the passion I just mentioned? Gina passionately wanted to get her resume to the fine arts director. Being unaware that Fridays in the summer, the offices closed at noon, Gina walked around the building looking for a solution. She noticed a small, open window."

Those in the church began laughing.

"What to do? Passion prevailed," Padden said. "Gina forced the window open and climbed through. She went searching for the fine arts office of the school when a custodian noticed the intruder but kindly submitted the resume on time for her. I didn't learn about Gina's breaking and entering until quite a while afterward."

The superintendent at the time told Padden he thought the district was taking a risk hiring Pellettiere, according to Padden.

"She had been very successful in middle school, and we could see she had the warmth, the vitality, the vivaciousness and the connection to students that we treasure," Padden said. "Gina didn't have high school experience, but her qualities caused us to take a chance."

Padden got to know Pellettiere over the years as a teacher, colleague, leader, inspirer of students, daughter and mother.

Their friendship took them to the golf course.

"I played with her several times and was so annoyed that that little pipsqueak could out-drive me," Padden said.

Pellettiere had a "larger than life personality," the former fine arts director said.

"Gina came to a very successful music program and enhanced it," Padden said. "She brought new ideas to the high school, and it was contagious. She added showmanship to the December concert."

The year her wind ensemble played music from a popular movie, she had a huge tableau come across the stage to make the music come alive, according to Padden.

"The high school principal [Glen Zakian] said he knew he was in trouble when Gina would ask to see him in October," Padden said. "He knew Gina was going to propose, as he says, 'something crazy,' as she said, 'Gleeeen. Glen, here's what we'll do.' He knew it was not going to be in his comfort level, but he went along with it, and audiences delighted in seeing the principal as Santa Claus, the Grinch, Charlie Brown, the Polar Express train conductor ... And even a Hawaiian Santa in a bathing suit and flip flops. As Glen said, Gina had ideas and no one could refuse her."

Zakian's involvement began when Pellettiere and the wind ensemble did a "The Night Before Christmas" concert narrated by one of the teachers from a chair on the stage. She asked Zakian to dress as Santa Claus and come out at the end saying the last line with a bag of toys that school faculty gave to children who were sitting by the stage.

"We had so much fun doing it that it morphed into a conversation of 'What else can we do next year?'" Zakian told Patch. "Soon, Gina’s imagination took over, and we launched into 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,' complete with a full costume and stage antics and children acting in various parts."

Pellettiere approached Zakian with a new idea each year that he said was "bigger and better" than the previous year. He always bought into it.

"We had a lot of fun doing it, the students were always excited by the pageantry of each skit, and the community couldn’t wait to see the 'show' each year," Zakian said. "I never regretted a second of it."

Pellettiere cared about her students and would connect with them personally. Padden recalls a conversation she once had with Pellettiere about the music teacher's time being a middle school student.

Pellettiere had decided to quit the band.

When her name did not appear on the band director's roster that August, he called Pellettiere's home and tried to convince her to return. If she liked it, great. If not, he would change her schedule.

"Gina told me about how that conversation with the band director made a huge impact on her," Padden said. "It showed he really cared about her. He took the time to speak to her personally and followed up periodically to see how she was enjoying band. She never forgot that, and how that conversation literally changed the course of her life. So Gina was determined to connect with students and help them where she could."

The band director's gesture of keeping a young Pellettiere's passion for music alive came full circle.

Rachel Witt, a Farmingdale class of 2015 graduate, recently told Patch that "Ms. P" was the reason she stuck it out in band. The summer before her freshman year, she quit. Pellettiere didn't even know Witt yet, but she called her and begged her to give it a try, Witt said.

"I am so unbelievably thankful that she did. Because of her, most of my most favorite memories from high school involve her and band. If it wasn’t for her, me and [my husband] Christopher probably never would have had a chance to become friends and create this beautiful life together."

Rachel Carlin, class of 2017, said she knows "so many people" who wanted to quit band that Pellettiere personally convinced to stay.

"Each and every one have attested to how her influence led them to their best high school experiences," Carlin said.

Michelle Mellina, class of 2010, said she quit cheerleading because she "couldn't stand to be away from the band at halftime" shows.

Gabby Messina, class of 2009, played the clarinet.

"Just like some others, reading music didn’t come easy to me. Ms. P believed in me and told me she wanted me to try out. I was incredibly nervous and I almost backed out but she kept saying 'Dudeeee just do it— you’ve got this!' Long story short, I made wind ensemble and it honestly was the greatest."

Ms. P accepted everyone into her band, Padden said.

"Everyone belonged," she said. "Gina was admired and respected by band directors all over Long Island. Our wind ensemble performed the highest level of music literature in the New York state music manual."

While Pellettiere emphasized fun during Christmas concerts, every student-musician knew it was time for business in the spring.

Annually, the school's wind ensemble participated in the New York State School Music Association festival. Most years, Pellettiere's band earned the "highest, coveted" rating, gold with distinction, Padden said.

"Gina conducted with an intensity that mesmerized all of us," she said. "When our wind ensemble performed, you couldn't take your eyes off Gina's conducting. She was so expressive, she was able to get students to focus with incredible attention and make the most beautiful sounds. Gina created artistry very seldom seen in high school. And of course, while the musical phenomenon was at its most intense, flying everywhere were Gina's curls."

Pellettiere wanted to give her tuba, baritone and sousaphone players the experience of Tuba Christmas each year at Rockefeller Center. Typically, those who played the lowest-pitched musical instruments in the brass family rarely, if ever, carried melodies in the vast majority of songs. They supplemented the lighter instruments with their deep sound: "BOM BUM BOM BUM BOM
BUM," as Padden put it.

At Tuba Christmas, however, those students would travel into New York City with "Ms. P" and get to play the melodies of various Christmas carols in a beautiful backdrop.

"When Gina arrived in Farmingdale, three tuba players went," Padden said. "But each year, it has grown and grown. Gina led and others followed."

Pellettiere started a tradition of music teachers supporting each others' concerts. Chorus teachers would attend band concerts, and orchestra teachers would listen to the chorus.

"It was very, very unusual to see that in schools, but what a support network Gina created," Padden said.

When Pellettiere suggested all music teachers go to Palmer's American Grille in Farmingdale after the school's last concert of the season to celebrate their hard work, that became a tradition, too.

Padden shared sentiments from Barbara Lieberman, the high school's symphonic band instructor who taught alongside Pellettiere at band camp.

"Students would do anything for Gina," Padden said, reading Lieberman's words. "They would sweep the band room floor or unload the band camp truck. Anything. Whatever Ms. P needed done, students were happy do it for her and the greater good of the band."

Band camp was fun but could also get very tedious, Padden noted. Students had to learn the drill of the halftime movements and combine them with music across the better part of four days. Pellettiere led high schoolers on a field each year no matter the weather: blistering sun or cold rain. On the hot days, a gust of wind would be accompanied by "Ms. P" shouting "BREEZE BREAK!"

"In order to keep spirits alive, Ms. P had a large repertoire of jokes," Padden said. "Students and graduates will remember the muffin jokes."

Many students mentioned the muffin joke when reminiscing about Pellettiere.

"Gina wasn't just a good teacher," Padden said. "She was a great teacher."