Though Bernie Williams left baseball to pursue a music career, he is still a fan favorite. He recently visited IS 162 – Lola Rodriguez De Tio Academy of Future Technologies, a Music Will school in the Bronx, to deliver ten acoustic guitars and two electrics guitars to Allan Adkison’s music class. He jammed with the kids on “We Will Rock You” and “Stir It Up,” answered lots of questions about music and even a few about baseball, stating that music was actually his first love!
“I’m so saddened by the fact that schools [are facing budget cuts] and the first thing they do is cut music and arts,” Williams said in October. The instruments were paid for with a portion of the $175,000 that Williams helped raise.
The students he visited make up a portion of the 6,142 New York City Public School students and the more than 72,000 students nationwide currently enrolled in Music Will classes and playing instruments donated by the charity. This spring, Music Will will train several more teachers, donating hundreds of instruments and resources to their schools.
“It’s just great to be part of this organization that gives instruments to schools that can’t buy instruments,” Williams said. “This is the first school I’ve visited, but it certainly won’t be the last!”
