Public comments in support of Spencer Burrows and Analy Choir
Insightful, urgent, even humorous remarks from students, past and present, as well as parents and community members
Each letter sent to the school board as well as speakers during public comment brought up really important issues about the challenges facing public education today. It goes beyond one teacher and a choir program. It goes beyond the harsh numbers around enrollment and loss of revenue in the school budget. You hear directly the voices of students, teachers and parents who are speaking as to why we should value what public education can do and what the arts can - how essential they are for students growing up in this community.
Note: The 34 pages of letters can be found in their entirety here. The selected letters and comments have been lightly edited.
Matt Reischling (speaking from his letter). I’m not related to Spencer Burrows, the choir teacher at Analy High School, but we’ve known each other for close to 25 years, mainly as singer songwriters on similar paths. When I heard that his teaching position was on the chopping block due to budget cuts, one thought immediately jumped into my head. The district can’t do this. Of course, they can, but they shouldn’t. Why not? Because Spencer is truly a once-in-a-generation teacher.
Someone who identifies talent in students, cultivates it over time, and then puts them in a position to shine in front of others. He awakens their self confidence and changes how they perceive themselves. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it’s life changing work.
He’s done this kind of work for years. ... I’ve even seen some parents in tears after they watch their kids perform under Spencer’s guidance.
How many people in the community have that effect on others? Not many. Bottom line, Spencer is too special to put on the sidelines. The community will lose if you choose to do so. … What Spencer does is exactly the kind of education kids want and need to grow into powerful, self actualized people.
Sarah Reidenbach (speaking from her letter): I live in Sebastopol and have three children who have been educated at Analy High School. I am a veterinarian and was raised by a public school teacher. All three of my children were exposed to trauma in their young childhoods. All three experienced serious mental health hardship. For two of the three, an adult who could connect with them, who gave them hope and purpose, who made them feel valuable, and who they trusted, was Spencer Burrows.
I am writing today to make sure that the board understands why cutting Analy choir or music programs would not only be a huge mistake, but a threat to our students. You may think that my children’s mental health hardship is not relevant to saving a school program. That assumption would be harmful and wrong. The trauma and stress that my kids went through is not an exception; it is the norm.
Our kids are going through more stress and destruction of self-esteem than ever before. Our teenagers are the first generation to experience 24/7 social pressure and worldwide trauma exposure through social media. Unlike us - growing up with hope that we could have a life as good as or better than our parents - they face a future that’s darkened by anxiety and economic instability. They are carrying unprocessed isolation, trauma and developmental delays from the pandemic, trying to find stability in a community chronically upset and polarized, navigating unprecedented levels of family stress and financial strain, and unlike any generation prior, their nervous systems rarely get a break. All of this has caused soaring rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. We need to take care of our kids.
You may think this is a case more so for therapy and mental health programs. Yes, absolutely, that too; those things are extremely important. But in spite of abundant therapy over years, the adults who succeeded at connecting with my kids were their music teachers. Our kids don’t only need to focus on their problems, they also need to find their inspiration to move forward. My children’s music teachers listened to them, helped them remember their spirit and their voice, and validated them as wonderful and worthy people. Music allows vulnerability, connection, emotional processing, expression, and the building of capability and resilience in a safe setting. With music, our justifiably guarded teens let their guards down for a moment. Sometimes music class is the first time that students learn that their value is not only in how much information they can memorize. In music programs, students get to believe they can create amazing things and be a part of something meaningful. Spencer Burrows creates a place for students to shine.
Logan Bailey (Class of 2021): I joined the choir at Analy during my sophomore year with the encouragement of my neighbor and long-time best friend…I was hesitant and frankly terrified, as I had never really sung in front of other people, but in just a few short days it became the highlight of my day. I grew more confident both in my musical abilities but also in my everyday life. I found friends in that first year that I would continue a close friendship with for the rest of my time at Analy. My confidence in myself continued to grow, and I even became a member of Vocal Ensemble, the small audition-only group, which helped dispel the last of my historically crippling social anxiety. I remember my time at Analy most fondly when I remember my 3 years of choir, and regret not joining my freshman year to gain just one more year in that classroom. I certainly would not be who I am today without that class, and I desperately hope that Analy students will continue to get the chance to find themselves through the choir program.
Hannah Finley (speaking): I’m 21. I grew up in Sebastopol schools, and I studied with Spencer Burrows for nine years. To be honest, traditional school subjects were really hard for me.
I was a driven, hard worker, but couldn’t focus or remember things the way others could. My younger brother, who is now in pre med, excelled academically and aced his AP classes.
Thankfully, I met Spencer Burrows. Spencer taught me singing, songwriting, and improved my piano skills drastically. Singing terrified me, and so does public speaking, but Spencer helps me find my voice. He connected me with other kids, with whom I formed a band, which is something I was good at and got to be proud of. It gave me a community I connected to, and even a little source of income.
Ultimately because of him, I ended up getting a scholarship to a great music school. So I’m here to speak up not just for Spencer Burrows and the music programs he runs but for all the kids like me. We need and deserve a great education, too. We have a lot to offer, and we are able to find confidence in careers through music. To cut choir or any music programs would be to say that kids like me don’t have a place in Analy.
Ella Park: In 2012, I attended 8th grade at Hillcrest middle school. I took Spencer Burrows’s glee class as an elective. It was my first year back in the US after living a fairly isolated few years in Mexico. I didn’t have any friends and was scared to try. I remember feeling such a sense of community and support through music at Hillcrest. I made close friendships that I still have to this day.
I can say for certain, I would have never even given choir a chance in high school with Andy DelMonte if I hadn’t found joy and excitement in Spencer’s class in 8th grade, one of the hardest years of grade school for me. I went on to fall in love with music and vocal performance. Now I have pursued music and art in all parts of my education and life. I went on to study vocal performance in college, get a degree in art, and regularly perform in my local community theater where I found a new home. I remember every teacher I ever had in the arts. They all impacted my journey to being an artist. And without their support, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I needed art. I needed music. All children deserve the chance to express themselves. The arts were and are essential to the human experience. Art is what makes us human
Isabel Castaldi: I’m a junior at Analy high school and these are some reasons why choir should not get cut next year.
Mr.Burrows is an amazing and nice teacher who has tried his best to build choir back up to what it was.
I’ve only known him for a short time but he is my favorite teacher
Choir has made me feel like I can be myself
I feel safe in choir
I’ve made a ton of really good friends in choir this year .
Bonny Danielsen: First of all, I’d like to say what a terrible position you have been put in, having to make cuts to essential programs in our school district. It is a shame and disappointment that our government does not see fit to give public schools the funding they need, they really have their priorities mixed up.
Secondly, I am an Analy alum (class of ’98) and a parent to a current sophomore. I am writing to you to urge to you prioritize instrumental music, choir, and dance in our school district. Music programs are where many of the most excluded or sensitive students find solace and meaning in an otherwise heavily academic and socially volatile high school experience. My daughter is disabled. She has approximately 60% of her classes in RSP, and 40% mainstreamed with the rest of the student community at Analy. Because of her disability, she is very challenged with her occupational functioning, meaning, she can’t use her hands very well. This counts her out of electives like ceramics, culinary arts, and even band. Choir, under the fantastic leadership of Spencer Burrows, has literally been her port in the storm. I see this with all the kids in choir. It is not expendable, it is a literal life saver. A place where the creative “outcasts” of our community can find each other. The support I see these kids giving each other, and the bravery they exhibit to get on stage, and even try solos for the first time is a life skill that no other class can teach.
I am sure that what I have witnessed bloom and grow over the last two years would not be possible without the expert leadership and counsel of Spencer Burrows. We are beyond lucky to have him as a teacher.
Zoe Mills: (speaking) I’m a sophomore student at Analy High School. I’m here tonight to speak about the choir and how much it means to me and other students. Choir has helped me grow in ways I didn’t expect. I used to be much quieter. This class has helped me build confidence and feel more comfortable being myself. I would not be here speaking tonight if it wasn’t for Mr. Burrows. I also struggle with OCD anxiety. So if you see me shaking right now, that is why.
School sometimes can feel overwhelming for me. Choir has been a place where I can breathe, focus and feel calm, singing and being part of a group helps quiet my anxiety and gives me a healthy way to cope with stress. Mr. Burrows doesn’t just teach me keyboards. He creates a safe place where students feel supported, encouraged, and valued. Choir feels like a family. A community. It’s a place where we support each other, where he supports us, and we truly feel like we belong. Choir builds community within the school, and beyond.
Robynn L. Van Patten (speaking): I’m an attorney. My daughter, Sasha, is a songbird, unlike me, and has had some struggles academically, which I did not have. She begged me to come, and I actually came from a trial in Monterey, and drove up to be here tonight. That’s how important it is.
I wanted to talk about the disparate impact that I’m hearing about the cuts. I heard a lot is being cut from the arts programs because there aren’t that many teachers. In fact they’re not full time, for the most part. I wanted to talk about choirs specifically. God bless you, students, who were brave enough to get up here because you’re actually highlighting my point. So I love that.
My daughter is an interdistrict transfer. Thank God, she got in under the wire from Santa Rosa, but she was a private school student at Sonoma Academy. She saw the choir program, and was intrigued by it, so she made me come here. She was really taken by Spencer’s very first program, where the choir was reduced, and he’d only been with them for a couple of months, but she saw his passion, and his enthusiasm, and she saw these kids who had so much promise, and it really spoke to her, so she came to me and said, Mom, instead of paying $60,000 a year, I really want to go to Analy. She became my favorite child at that point. It was because of him.
So I want to talk to you about the fact that the arts are under such horrific attack in public schools. I’m shaking, and I don’t do that in a courtroom. That’s how much I feel here. I just want to point out that sports programs are rarely eliminated. We have four football coaches. I have nothing against sports. But, you know, here’s the thing, the arts, like theater, fine arts, choir, dance, they’re open to all genders, but let’s get real. These disciplines, particularly Choir, are heavily populated by female students. Further, the arts often attract students who identify as gay or trans or other less mainstream identities, and I can sure say that the vast majority of my daughter’s friends are trans, or gay, or from really troubled homes.
We have a student with spinal bifida, who is shy. The whole choir has just come around her, and she used to be terrified on stage, and I watched her perform a solo in the last choir. Think about that for a minute. Her mom was losing it, but I was losing it just as much. So, here’s the thing. The arts have always embraced unique perspectives. That’s what makes our life beautiful, right? Art understands that people come from different backgrounds. They have different strengths; they have different fears and concerns and issues that are important.
Because of that, these students that are typically excluded from the mainstream can positively interact with students from the mainstream in choir. Because our choir has a lovely combination, right? This is one time where they can come together and create an actual community, where they can bring their talents together without judgment or determination as to whether someone’s athletic, or someone’s the top student, or someone is gay, or straight, or whatever.
Noah Brown: (speaking) I personally have never been in choir, but at the beginning of sophomore year, I met this friend of mine, and I made a promise that I would go to every single one of her performances. Unfortunately, I agreed to that. To my surprise, I’d always heard choir kids are bad and weird, and then I went to the program, so I was like, Wow. That’s actually really good. And then I kept going and I see these students just improving every single time. They grow their confidence; they sing better. They’re just take up the stage, you know? You can tell they’re just in their own world. They have that space where they can just be themselves. They’re not scared. They’re just ready.
I thank Mr. Burrows for that. I’ve never been in his class. He keeps trying, but it’s not gonna happen. But I’ve spent a lot of time in his class, and I can just see how much he cares about his students. He’ll help them one on one. Many teachers don’t do that, but he does. He goes out of his way to make sure all of his students feel confident, feel ready. One thing I’d like to mention – whenever I’m in his classroom, I look up and see all these posters from every year about a choir show. Do you really want those to stop? Is this gonna be the end?
Spencer Burrows (speaking): When I came to Analy High School in 1993, I met Mr. Cullen, Bobby Cullen, who was the choir director. I spent four years in the honor choir. If I could remember anything about high school that long ago, it would be choir. It’s performance.
It paved the way for me to go on a full scholarship to Sonoma State University in the operatic, vocal program and singing musical theater and have the confidence to do that kind of thing. I would go on to Berkelee College of Music.
I can say I am not a non-traditional hire. I didn’t go to school to be a conductor. I went to school to be a rock star. That didn’t quite work out. But I’m here for you and your students can say that their teacher has written 7 full-length albums, and has done international touring and national touring. They can say their teacher has experience headlining at the Fillmore.
It’s kind of a cool thing. My main goal is to grow the program and represent my school and make sure it’s the best program that you can imagine. We’ve been doing that.
I see some of my students here, and what I can say about my students is that they’re incredible. They’re talented. They need someone to lead them. Not just anyone. And I feel like it’s me. I feel like I found my place. I feel like they found their place. So, I encourage you to keep me on. I’m advocating for myself, I guess.