Art teacher, former band member leads MusicCounts
By Guest~Booster group gearing up for annual CantonStock fundraiser~
By Bernard Mendillo
“I was kidnapped. And the next thing I knew I was elected president!”
Bekki Kowalski, center, when she played trombone in the BC Screaming Eagles Marching Band
Well, that’s not exactly the way it happened. And as this reporter was at the September meeting for MusicCounts — the nonprofit volunteer organization that supports all music programs in the Canton Public Schools — I can confirm that Rebecca “Bekki” Kowalski did indeed attend her first-ever meeting and just before we adjourned someone — it may have been this reporter — said something like, “Hey, would you like to be president?” This was followed by a motion and a second to the motion and then a unanimous vote! Democracy in action!
“I’m actually very happy to be able to help,” Kowalski said. “Once the shock wore off, I realized that, although I was new to MusicCounts, they are a great bunch of people to work with and are very eager to lend a hand.”
Kowalski was born in Vermont and moved early in life to Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Music and the arts have been in her blood from the start. In high school she was a drum major in the marching band, which she continued with the Screaming Eagles Marching Band at Boston College — where she played the trombone and was also the pep band coordinator for hockey and basketball.
“I had a lot of fun in the bands and we went to some great games,” she recalled. “For basketball we went to the Big East Tournament and the NCAAs; and for football we were at the Kickoff Classic one year.”
After graduating with a BA in studio art, Kowalski immediately gravitated toward teaching.
“I got the bug right away,” she said. “First at a summer camp, and then at schools in the Bronx and then back home in Randolph and Weston.”
She is an art teacher at Weston Middle School, where she also runs the drama club, having produced shows such as Shrek, Willy Wonka, Scared Silly and Legally Blonde.
Kowalski’s husband, Craig — they met in the band at Boston College — is a criminal prosecutor with Norfolk County. He coaches local basketball and soccer and is on the board of Canton Youth Soccer. They have two children: Frankie, a fourth grader at the Luce, and Bella, a seventh grader at Galvin.
“Both kids love music and theater, which is one reason I had to join MusicCounts,” Kowalski said. “We are a small group — we could use more people! — but I’ve seen firsthand how much they do. And now I’m able to help a bit. We’re all looking forward to CantonStock on Saturday, November 2. It’s really wonderful time for everyone. Music, singing, auctions, games and food! It’s a festival of fun!”
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